The Queen's Journal, Volume 150, Issue 27

Commerce Society increases mandatory fee from

$55 to $85

$17,100 of mandatory student fees will go to student compensation

Aimée Look

Assistant News Editor

The Smith Commerce Society (ComSoc) has increased their membership fee from $55 to $85 per student.

Students voted in favour of the fee increase at referendum on March 26. The increase will “equalize” resources with other faculty societies, increase financial support, and fund new projects, according to an email ComSoc executive team RMK sent to Commerce students on March 24.

“The student fee contributes directly to the ComSoc Operating Fund, which is the only source of funding for all ComSoc clubs and society activity,” RMK said in the email.

$17,100 of the student fee increase will go toward the compensation of the three executives and the Orientation head, according to a presentation at ComSoc’s most recent general assembly.

The email said ComSoc has “lower mandatory student fees” in comparison to other societies. The AMS membership fee—which encompasses all undergraduate students—is $65.09.

Only the Engineering Society (EngSoc) and Nursing Students Society have higher undergraduate mandatory fees than ComSoc—$86.28 and $61.75, respectively, compared to ComSoc’s original $55 fee.

The Computing Students Society has a mandatory fee of $1.13 and the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) has a mandatory fee of $34.30.

The Concurrent Education Student Association’s mandatory fee is $30 and the Physical Health Education and Kinesiology Student Association ask students for $27.

In the email, ComSoc said they hope to use the fee increase to create up to 50 paid positions to compensate students, as other faculty societies like ASUS and EngSoc have.

Discussions to increase the student fee started at the beginning of the year, team RMK told The Journal in a statement. They said in their discussions with co-chairs who head Commerce clubs, they learned ComSoc needs more capital for committees and conferences.

Keeping costs minimal is an “integral value” of the society, team RMK said. ComSoc hopes to develop subsidized events and provide autonomy to co-chairs over the long term.

“The current student fee did not reflect the society’s growth in sheer numbers and scope over the past 10 years,” they said.

At general assembly, a motion addressed the Society’s lack of compensation initiatives for “inequalities in student work,” as currently the executive team and Orientation head are not salaried.

With the fee increase, the three executive positions will be salaried at $15 per hour. Over the year, compensating the three executives will amount to $14,850 in total.

The Orientation head will also receive a salary of $15 per hour for the summer and winter terms, amounting to $2,250 in total.

Alleged enrolment fraud involves Queen’s alumni

Social media posts allege false claims to Inuk heritage

Skylar Soroka Assistant News Editor

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is investigating potential enrolment fraud involving two Queen’s alumni sisters, Nadya Gill, JD and LLM ’22, and Amira Gill, BASc ’19 and MASc ’21, who claimed Inuk heritage.

Social media posts alleging false claims of Inuit identity, and misuse of financial support for university studies and their business have circulated in the past week.

“Our ‘Inuit family ties’ are through an Iqaluit family that our mother lived with,” the Gill sisters said in an emailed statement to Nunatsiaq News.

In a recent news release by NTI, Karima Manji claimed her adopted twin daughters,

Amira and Nadya, were adopted from an Inuk mother.

NTI is responsible for ensuring promises made to Inuit people under the Nunavut Agreement are carried out. NTI received information from the birth mother of the Gill sisters stating that they are not her children.

On March 30, the alleged birth mother initiated the process to have the Gill sisters removed from the Inuit enrolment list.

According to a Kingstonist report, Iqaluit resident Noah Noah claimed the unidentified Inuk mother listed in NTI’s news release—the one previously named as the biological mother of the two sisters—is actually his mother, Kitty Noah.

According to Noah, his family was unaware the Gill twins even existed or that the Noah family had been designated as the sisters’ Inuit beneficiaries.

“The Iqaluit Community Enrolment Committee will review the removal application and make a decision,” the news release said.

ComSoc’s fee is now the second-highest mandatory undergraduate faculty society fee.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

said. “We were able to really reimagine some of the brands of the AMS.”

Sikich spoke to challenges Team ETC faced.

“The challenges in general are pervasive issues within the organization as the AMS and within Queen’s University as an institution, when it comes to focusing on [Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity] (EDII) work,” he said.

“That can be definitely seen with what happened during the elections process and the debate with the Queen’s Black Clubs caucus,” he added.

Sikich noted he also had a “good conversation” with Queen’s Hillel and how the AMS can be better support to Jewish students on campus. What the AMS has seen less tangibly from the University is advocacy work on housing, Sikich noted.

Continued from front page...

They started Kanata Trade Co.

The Gill sisters have been associated with Kanata Trade Co., a business that sold Indigenous art face masks to support Indspire, a national charity for Indigenous youth.

“We started Kanata Trade Co. to help Indspire charity’s mission,” the sisters wrote to Nunatsiaq News. “[We] have been an integral part of the community in Kingston. We have participated in advocacy, cultural ceremonies, and education.”

According to the Nunatsiaq News article, Indspire spokesperson Brandon Meawasige confirmed the Gill sisters were eligible for funding under its bursaries and scholarships program because they provided proof of membership in NTI.

The sisters were eligible for funding from Indspire based on their NTI enrolment cards. The Gill sisters claimed that their Inuit family ties are through an

Iqaluit family but have a strained relationship with their parents and now consider Kingston their home.

“To prevent any potential fraud in the future, NTI is working with the Community Enrolment Committees to take additional measures to further strengthen the enrolment application and review process,” the NTI release added.

The Nunatsiaq News article stated the Gill sisters said they felt the controversy “was an invasion of [their] privacy” although they did admit to understanding “the public interest in this matter.”

The Gill sisters did not respond to The Journal’s requests for comment on the matter.

“In recent years, Queen’s has devoted significant attention and focus on developing policies and providing support for Indigenous students, faculty and staff,” the University wrote in a statement to

The Journal in response to allegations.

“This is part of our ongoing commitment to provide an inclusive, supportive, and equitable learning environment.”

Most recently, Queen’s announced an Interim Indigenous Hiring Policy in an effort to address the question of Indigeneity among staff, students, and faculty.

According to the statement, Queen’s provides students the Indigenous Students Admission Pathway (IAP) which outlines specific admissions criteria for Indigenous candidates and admission to the first year of a full-time, first-entry undergraduate degree program.

In November 2021, the Indigenous Caucus of the Indigenous Council approved the Indigenous Student Verification Policy, which was received by the Senate in November of 2022 and is currently in practice.

AMS Year in Review: Restoring student engagement

Team ETC talks Orientation, tackling food insecurity, promoting equity

Skylar Soroka

Assistant News Editor

AMS executive team ETC’s last interview with The Journal saw President Eric Sikich and Vice-President (University Affairs) Callum Robertson credit their term

with successfully restoring student engagement on campus.

“Just by virtue of it being an in-person year, we saw more engagement,” Robertson said, reflecting on the past year.

Vice-President (Operations) Tina Hu was unable to participate in the interview and provided a written statement in lieu.

President

Working on brand identity and centralizing marketing for students was among Sikich’s top achievements.

“We did allocate more funds to the marketing office

this year, so that we were able to expand,” Sikich

“We have done quite a bit of advocacy on student housing this year alongside the Rector and the SGPS President. It’s something that we will not see this year, I don’t believe, but it’s something that I hope in future years we’ll be taking more into consideration,” he said.

Another achievement of Sikich’s was the Secretariat Office conducting a policy overhaul, including changes to the Constitution.

“It was a lot of hours put in by us to ensure that those policies were able to get passed […] we were able to see that and that was something that was out of the scope of our policy,” Sikich said.

Vice-President (Operations)

Hu emphasized the Operations team’s efforts to provide essential services to students, particularly in light of the challenges posed by increasing costs of living and food insecurity.

The launch of the PEACH Market, a pay-what-you-can cafe aimed at tackling food insecurity on campus in collaboration with the AMS Food Bank and the University, is among one of Hu’s major accomplishments.

“Alongside this collaboration, we have been able to advocate to a multitude of bodies about the rising cost of food and the need for support, as well as raising funds from the University Board of Trustees and University Council,” Hu said.

The AMS Media Centre (AMC) was also introduced this year, which aims to merge Studio Q and the Printing & Copy Centre.

The relaunching of the Menstrual Product Accessibility Initiative was also a special project to note, Hu added.

“Our goal is to expand access across campus with

the support of the University,” Hu said.

Currently, the team has launched “Take1Leave1” bins in 10 AMS restrooms and have been collaborating with the University administration to install three more coinless dispensers in the Queen’s Centre.

“We look forward to expanding access across campus and we hope that by providing menstrual products, folks within the Queen’s community will be able to feel a sense of security in menstrual product accessibility,” Hu said.

Vice-President (University Affairs)

Taking advantage of unique opportunities is how Robertson attributed his success.

“With the marketing and communications office, funding them more [was important] to get that attention for students and welcome them back to campus,” Robertson said.

The ORT mystery concert is a good example of this, he noted, claiming funding was increased for the event, allowing the AMS to “procure better, more influential artists.”

“We understood that these kinds of first moments that students stepped on the campus would be so important—our team really stepped up to the challenge by taking advantage of those early moments to capitalize,” Robertson added.

“Initially, we did not succeed on the Orientation front,” he said. “We saw a lot of success, but there were definitely some growing pains.” Orientation had some communication and transparency issues due to teaching new student leaders, but they were addressed by holding an Orientation summit, individual consultations with societies, and returning to the pre-COVID budgeting process, Robertson said.

Robertson also spoke to the veteran report, a year-long comprehensive EDII based audit of the AMS.

In late summer, the team recognized the need to better understand and address the needs of their BIPOC and diverse employees, Robertson stated.

“Some of the initial data I’ve received is looking very positive in terms of actionable items and ways we can improve directly,” he said.

Roberston stated that the report will be finished by the end of the month and is showing promise in terms of quality and offering actionable items for equity improvement.

journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

The sisters said they are an integral part of the Kingston community.

Team ETC has been running the AMS since May 1, 2022.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

A look into how the University allocates its funds

Aimée Look

Assistant News Editor

Queen’s Investment Committee held a Responsible Investing Town Hall to share the University’s actions across investment portfolios, which hold $1.9 billion in assets.

Principal Patrick Deane opened the Town Hall via Zoom on April 5, praising the “considerable progress” made on various responsible investing committees. The committees were approved by the Board of Trustees in March 2022 and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

Deane explained the commitments from the work of the Climate Change Action Task Force (CCATF), which was developed in 2019 to manage investments in alignment with sustainable development goals.

According to Queen’s first Responsible Investing Annual Report—released this year on April 5—Queen’s assesses environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in its investment approach.

“Queen’s believes that ESG factors can be material to shareholder value across industries and through time,” the report said.

The report outlines how well the University has aligned with principles and its partnerships with external investment managers.

Todd Mattina, chair of the investment committee on the Board of Trustees, said Queen’s currently has four investment funds: the Short-term Fund of $316 million, Sinking Fund of $110 million, Pooled Endowment Fund (PEF) of $1,388 million and Pooled Investment Fund of $528 million.

“We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to discuss responsible investing at Queen’s [...] We’re really excited to have this opportunity to try to be proactive in disclosing and being transparent about these policies, talk about how we’ve gone from policy to action,” Mattina said.

The Pooled Investment Committee oversees and recommends investment policies for the largest funds—the Pooled Endowment and Pooled Investment Funds.

The Endowment Fund accumulates what has been donated to the University and uses them for different purposes, such as scholarships, student aid programs, funding academic chairs, and research.

The committee also oversees how external fund managers allocate the money. By working with a broad range of different external managers, Queen’s has diversified—spread out—its risk and return on the investments.

Upon its formation, the Climate Change Action Task Force—especially the Energy Transition Sub-Committee— recommended changes to the investment funds. They consulted with the Institute of Sustainable Finance at the Smith School of Business

and the Climate Charter Technical Committee, a collaboration between “like-minded” universities.

Mattina said “transparency” was at the forefront of their conversations.

“Transparency is a word that’s come up a number of times in the discussion, and this is something that I think is a real strong point at Queen’s—something that we value at Queen’s,” he said.

Trustee Don Raymond and a member of the investment committee clarified a major focus of the committee is on reducing carbon emissions. Their goal is to reduce Queen’s carbon footprint 25 per cent lower than the broadest current benchmark, MSCI All Country World Equity Index.

“The more the benchmark carbon footprint falls over time, the more aggressive our target becomes,” Raymond said.

The committee wants Queen’s Climate Asset Allocation (QCAA) to include investments that have “significantly lower” carbon emissions than the benchmark or invest in organizations with

robust plans for achieving net zero emissions.

“It’s early days. This is a journey. But I think the early results are encouraging so far,” Raymond said.

Queen’s carbon emission targets are “way more ambitious” than at first glance, investment committee member Kathy Matthews said when asked if Queen’s could do more.

“Our commitments have already

resulted in meaningful actions and considerable progress,” Matthews said, highlighting how they’re measuring emissions against a benchmark—and as this falls, targets become more ambitious.

“There is significant work to be done to meet our 2030 targets. And you can count on us to expect similar progress in the years to come.”

Matthews said a main ESG trend to look out for going forward is using technology—such as climate trace initiatives—as it can narrow down where emissions are coming from and track them.

“As an educational institution aimed at impact in the world, education around these issues is critical for our students, for our alumni, and for the community,” Matthews said.

AMS marketing office hires new permanent staff member

Role will act as a mentor to the Marketing Director and team

Asbah Ahmad Senior News Editor

The AMS Marketing Office is getting a makeover. Rosa Rodriguez has been hired as a permanent staff member—the new AMS Marketing Officer.

Currently, the Marketing Office, which falls under the AMS President’s portfolio, consists of one Marketing Director, a team of supervisors, deputies, brand ambassadors, and graphic designers.

“[Rodriguez] has a plethora of experiences. When I was interviewing her, I was shocked, I was like ‘has she been hearing all of our conversations?’ She is exactly what we were looking for,” AMS Marketing Director Niki Boytchuk-Hale said in an interview with The Journal.

Mentoring students was a key attribute the hiring team was looking for, according to BoytchukHale. She said Rodriguez had the qualities and interest in mentoring students. The Marketing Director will remain the creative generator at the AMS.

“We want to make sure the Director of Marketing, the student, is still hands on and getting the experience and that the permanent staff members really are just providing guidance and mentorship,” she said.

Speaking to her own experiences in the role, BoytchukHale said most of the tasks she was completed were her first time doing them. Self-doubt can creep in while working the role

and having a permanent staff member to support it, while taking on specific tasks will be helpful, according to her.

“[The Marketing Officer] role will work to develop company policies, procedures and ethical standards and ensure they are communicated, understood and being adhered to,” Boytchuk-Hale said.

“One of the key roles I wanted to shift from the Marketing Director to the Marketing Officer is trademarking stuff, which is something that has been an ongoing project in relation with the University that a lot of services deal with like Tricolour Outlet.”

Outlining the requirements for the new permanent staff member, Boytchuk-Hale said they must

possess certification relevant to the industry along with five years of experience in marketing with an additional two years of experience in management.

Rodriguez will be participating in the marketing caucus and supporting campaigns, along with taking a role in idea generation. She will sit on hiring panels for student positions in the Marketing Department instead of other permanent staff members.

“I’ve sometimes felt the weight, the pressure, and I think I can deal with pressure pretty well. I understand the hustle of student government. I’ve been at the AMS for a while, but I’ve sometimes felt like the marketing, or the success of events and initiatives are all on my

shoulders in many ways,” Niki Boytchuk-Hale said.

“I feel like I can’t necessarily skip a beat. Just having someone who’s got your back [...] Having someone who is here if you need extra support.”

Marketing experience in a professional setting can be obtained at the AMS, which is something Boytchuk-Hale said can’t be easily obtained through academic courses. She said it’s incredible to have permanent staff members act as mentors throughout the organization.

Coming towards the end of her term, the Marketing Office has seen large changes, according to Boytchuk-Hale said. She’s thrilled to have Rodriguez start her position and transition this week.

Queen’s uses environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in its investment approach. JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

Employee facing policies and risk matrix assessed

Aimée Look

Assistant News Editor

“We’re in a successful position right now as a corporation and a society,”

Laura Devenny, chair of the AMS Board of Directors, said as the AMS Corporate General Meeting (CGM) commenced on April 6 at Sutherland Hall.

At the meeting, the Board’s six committees presented their annual reports. Devenny explained the three main priorities of the board: strategic guidance, fiduciary responsibility, and human resources.

The AMS has a positive continued non-profit standing and created 20 employee facing policies and 10 new positions this year.

The AMS risk matrix was amended to add more layers of responsibility and policy around risk management, said Chris Metzler, chair of the Finance and Risk committee.

“[The risk matrix] helped us consider [...] trends across the organization to make sure all our services, our offices, everything is in good standing,” Metzler said.

Vice-Chair of the AMS Board of

AMS corporate general meeting convenes

Directors Luca DiFrancesco spoke next, presenting the reviewed and updated AMS policies.

The board took “outdated” policies and transitioned them to make individual, user-friendly policies.

DiFrancesco said they looked at hiring employment policy and programs, making changes to ensure they are aligned with “current practices.” This involved doing a formal review of the HR office.

“This has been something that’s been going on for many months since we came into this role, and we’ve felt great working relationships with everyone,” DiFrancesco said.

Tina Hu, AMS vice-president (operations), presented the AMS Consolidated Operating Statement as of Feb 2023.

Overall, the AMS received $4.5 million in revenues, with expenditures totaling $4.4 million.

There has been an increase in expenses and cost of goods due to inflation and global supply chain issues, Hu said.

AMS StuCon service licensing in progress

Society reducing StuCon activity

fee by $2 in 2023-24

Sophia

Coppolino

Assistant News Editor

Licensing for the Queen’s StuCons (QSC) service is underway, with differing accounts on whether the process is on track.

As a student security service, the Ontario government requires QSC to hold a security license to operate. The licensing renewal is standard, but follows a turbulent year for the StuCon service, including rolling hiring and a fee decrease.

“The QSC application has been proceeding through the queue as normal and we anticipate no reason for QSC to not receive the

license,” Caroline Jarrett, QSC head manager, said in a statement to The Journal.

“We are waiting patiently as we understand from an Ontario Government representative that review times have been slower than usual.”

A spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General said the Ministry has not received QSC’s final application.

“StuCons has applied for an agency licence, but the Ministry has been unable to process it due to numerous deficiencies requiring correction or clarification,” Spokesperson Brent Ross said in a statement to The Journal.

QSC—previously known as Queen’s Student Constables—is a peer-to-peer security service for Queen’s student events. At events, StuCons usual tasks include checking students’ identification, monitoring students’ intoxication levels,

The offices, managed by the AMS president, oversee marketing, communications, human resources, and the general office. They are sitting at “slight” surplus of $44,000 due to a delay in transition and “professional development expenses,” as well as lower marketing costs.

The AMS’s nine services, including Common Ground, are under the purview of the AMS vice-president (operations). They have around $3 million in revenue, from student activity fees, donations, and sales.

“Common Ground this year saw higher sales and our desserts and pre-mades, which is very exciting,” Hu said.

Sales at the Printing and Copy Centre and Tricolour Outlet were lower than projected, which Hu attributes to the services’ relocation due to the JDUC renovation.

“In the big picture as an operations group we should be oscillating around zero,” Hu said. “We currently are a little better than zero.”

The government branch of the

AMS ran a small surplus of $60,000, which Hu expects to be rectified by the distribution of grants at the end of the schoolyear.

To close the CGM, the AMS ratified five incoming candidates to the AMS Board of Directors.

Amir-Ali Golrokhian Sani, HealthSci ’24, Niki Boytchuck-Hale, ConEd ’24, Linda Xu, Comm ’24, Nate Feldman, ArtSci ’24, and Tiffany Li Wu, ArtSci ’23 will all serve as Board members for the upcoming school year.

—With files from Sophia Coppolino

and providing appropriate crowd control.

In addition to QSC’s licensing, individual security personnel must also be licensed by the province. Currently, approximately half of the students employed by QSC are not fully licensed.

To address understaffing, the AMS is accepting applications for QSC staff on a rolling basis.

“The QSC has doubled their staff since Sept. 2022, with a total of 28 staff, 16 of which are fully licensed with the remaining 12 staff to be fully licensed by mid April,” Jarrett said.

“The QSC service staff all hold Smart-Serve and First-Aid trainings in addition to their Security Licenses.”

The AMS did not respond to The Journal’s request for dates after follow-up emails and requests for clarity on when the application was filed.

“License renewal is a routine operation within all security services and has no impact on service credibility,” Tina Hu, AMS vice-president (operations), said in a statement to The Journal.

According to Engineering Society (EngSoc) President Danielle Rivard, it’s been challenging to work with QSC over the past school year. Rivard reported frustrations over the communication process to ensure QSC was present at EngSoc events.

“Most of the problems stemmed from understaffing,” Rivard said. “They had 18 StuCons at the beginning of the year. They [were]

compensated with external security.”

Rivard said EngSoc lobbied the AMS to provide students with incentives to become StuCons, such as increased wages or additional benefits.

StuCons are the highest paid service staff at the AMS, in part due to requirements around licensing and staff’s operations in a higher risk environment compared to other services.

StuCon service staff are paid $16.55 per hour and supervisors are paid $19.05 per hour. The service’s rate of pay will be adjusted to account for the increase in Ontario minimum wage in the coming year.

Rivard brought her QSC concerns to AMS Assembly on April 6 as an opportunity to discuss solutions to alleged problems involving QSC.

Echoing Rivard’s communication concerns was incoming Health Science President Roan Haggerty-Goede, who reported a discrepancy in how much the faculty was charged for an event by QSC from what they were quoted.

At Assembly, Haggerty-Goede said the event sanctioning forms led organizers to believe they would be charged $7 per StuCon when it cost $17 per StuCon.

“The discrepancy has a downstream effect of people not wanting to purchase tickets to the event because it’s more expensive,” Haggerty-Goede said.

In response, Hu highlighted event sanctioning forms for the winter semester were changed so

forms for events involving alcohol were sent directly to QSC Head Manager Jarrett.

Jarrett will extend her QSC leadership position for another term—an exception to AMS policy made specifically for the QSC service.

“[Jarrett] was unable to fulfill a full term due to being onboarded in September,” Hu said at Assembly. “The constable service has been in a precarious position all year […] so continuing [Jarett]’s leadership is important.”

According to Hu, the AMS has decided to reduce the QSC activity fee by $2 for the 2023-24 school year.

Speaking from his experience working as a StuCon, Callum Fraser, ArtSci ’23 told Assembly, “I can’t say my experience has been that great.”

The roles StuCons are required to fulfill differ across events, creating confusion for students on the job. Fraser said it’s important for StuCons to know what specific activities event organizers are requesting and relevant security information, such as the number of entrances and exits to the venue.

Fraser suggested event sanctioning forms should include more information on an event’s security needs.

Incoming AMS executive team KMV re-stated their commitment to improving the StuCon service in the upcoming school year—they said they’re happy Jarrett is remaining in her position as head manager.

The CGM took place at Sutherland Hall.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

StuCons provide on-campus student security.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

FEATURES

A glance at Queen’s Nigerian identities

2023 Nigerian elections impact African identities beyond borders

Clanny Mugabe, Ruth Osunde, & Suzy Leinster Journal Staff

The Journal investigated the relationships immigrant students have with the cultural diaspora of Nigeria and how they connect to places with their families of origin.

The 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial elections made headlines for their impact across the nation and sparked a political engagement among people formally uninvolved in the changes of the nation. Nigeria’s population is the sixth largest in the world, containing 150 cultures with a vast diaspora of African identities. With Nigeria encompassing the largest population in Africa, the events represent the numerous cultural and political ideologies of the nation.

Peter Obi and his party began a youth movement to encourage statistically unengaged young adults to participate in the voting process. Those ranging from the ages of 18 to 30 campaigned across social media platforms and rallies to have their voices heard in the election.

The Nigerian elections remind Africa of the power the nation holds over its culture on a global scale. The social and cultural events in Nigeria extend beyond the borders of the country itself and impact the students in Canada who hold dual nationalities and heritages.

“Although I may not live in the country, I tried to play my part as best as I can and share social media posts of the elections and other corrupt things going on during the casting of votes,” Sere Otubu, Sci ’25, said in an interview with The Journal.

He explained Queen’s diverse group of student nationalities creates a space for dispersive cultural identities rooted in a legacy of heritage.

As a Nigerian Canadian, Otubu felt strongly connected to his Nigerian heritage despite the physical distance between Canada and Nigeria. He knows his Nigerian heritage is a big part of who he is and felt personally invested in the Nigerian election.

He emphasised the importance of education when getting involved with politics outside his resident country. Referencing this past election, he remarked on the call for change electors were proliferating and said they should aim for as much as transparency as possible.

Otubu believes the results of the election do not represent the desires of the citizens. He said elections are the easiest way for people of any democratic society to voice their opinions and call on their leaders for change.

“It’s unfortunate that things went the way they did, but I am very proud of the number of youths that came out to try and make a difference, and I believe that their wishes will be answered soon with a bit more time,” he said.

The election was a turning point for many youths and the same energy is felt among Queen’s students. It allowed for a more direct path for Nigerian students to gain influence from their heritage and make autonomous life decisions.

When discussing the influence of his

culture on his experience at Queen’s, Otubu mentioned the direct role it played on his experiences.

“I very much feel like my Nigerian heritage plays an important part in my identity as a Queen’s student, and I am proud of my cultural background and the other multiple Nigerian students attending Queen’s and representing themselves and where we come from well,” he said.

He believed his cultural background made him work hard to leave a positive mark on the community here.

“I have seen how hard my parents work and other notable Nigerians around the world break down barriers and achieve the unimaginable, and that makes me work just as hard to set a good example for others who may be watching me as well,” Otubu said.

As a student, he finds it difficult to balance his Nigerian and Canadian identity, something he has prioritized since he was young.

“From when I was young, my parents always made sure

watched the movies, and much more.”

Although his parents tried their best their best to bridge the gap in his nationalities, he wished they emphasized teaching him in his mother tongue Urhobo. In general, he has always felt connected to his homeland; despite being born in Canada, he feels a tie between the two identities.

“I have my parents to thank for instilling the cultural pride I have today, and the sense of involving myself in the community in any way I can. Even while schooling here, I have some of my mother’s special dishes from our tribe just in case I get tired of eating the food here or miss home-cooked meals,” Otubu said.

He said Queen’s could support his identity better, and called on examples from other Canadian universities with high levels of cultural diversity.

“I think Canadian universities can take inspiration from a place like York University which holds a cultural festival every year [CultureFest] that runs for Hosting an event similar to York’s CultureFest would allow students to express their cultural identities while also partaking in a celebration of other students’ cultures through the exchange of food, fashion, music, and tradition, according to Otubu.

Otubu feels it’s an important part of any experience to learn about how to appreciate other cultures.

Nifemi Adeoye, Health Sci ’25, does not believe Queen’s

assists in celebrating her Nigerian heritage in a time when being African is a moment of celebration.

When she was younger it was not cool to be Nigerian in the way it is now. She would get comments on her skin and hair, but now the social media is celebrating African identities and helping her stay connected with her culture.

“I think what’s different for me is that because I can speak the language, I think language is such a huge part of it,” Adeoye said.

Language allows her to feel connected to Nigeria despite her living in Canada for along time. She wants to support and connect international students who feel they are floundering in their identity.

International student Deborah Adebola-Dada, Comm ’23, spoke to The Journal about the effect the Nigerian election had on her while living in Canada during the time of event.

“I had to actively take a step back because I knew that if I focused on how that election went, like, I would fail all my courses,” she said.

The Nigerian elections had a large impact on her as someone who grew up in Nigeria, and she felt very involved in it. While growing up in Nigeria, she was surrounded by Nigerian politics, but being twenty now and more educated means that, unlike in her childhood, she understood what was at stake.

She said she belonged to a demographic most heavily involved and outspoken in this election. Knowing the history of Nigerian politics and being a part of the most involved demographic, Adebola-Dada still felt very involved and informed.

Story continued online...

Nigerian identities reconcile with Canadian culture.

ILLUSTRATION BY CLANNY MUGABE

GRAPHIC BY CURTIS HEINZL

‘Wildly different experiences’: Student parents at Queen’s

The Journal speaks with students, Ban Righ Centre,

daycare, SGPS

Aimée Look & Herbert Wang Journal Staff

When Slade Stoodley comes home after an ENGL 451 lecture on Victorian fairy tales, he likes to consult with his study buddy and three-year-old daughter, Evee.

Ever since Evee was born during Stoodley’s first-year exam period, being a student parent has been a balancing act.

“We knew right off the bat when I was going into school, that this was going to be a different dynamic from the rest of my colleagues—because I was going to be a young father,” he told The Journal in an interview.

Stoodley, ArtSci ’26, initially wanted to pursue a career as a forensic detective. He decided on an English degree after teaching ESL in Argentina as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His wife Elizabeth is from Kingston, so going to Queen’s was the “logical answer.”

Queen’s professors have been very accommodating, Stoodley said.

“Especially in first year, all my professors and TAs were aware that we were expecting a child. They were all very helpful and considerate, asking how things were going. I didn’t have any issues getting the accommodations to have my exams deferred.”

As an undergraduate student, Stoodley hasn’t really found a community at Queen’s. The few student parents he knows are mostly in graduate programs.

“I always feel weird. In my first-year psychology course, I was actually older than my TA,” he said, referencing how he took time off after high school.

“As I interact with students and colleagues, I find people that have similar interests, similar backgrounds. […] Those similarities help ease that sense of alienation that can kind of come up sometimes—especially when people are talking about things that are hot and current that I’m not aware of.”

Advertising the student parent community is something Queen’s could do better, according to Stoodley. The University should improve the accommodation system for student parents because kids can get sick too.

“Especially as after COVID, we’re getting more illnesses [...] I know of other professors whose kids are just constantly getting sick. It stresses them out as well, as I know it would student parents,” Stoodley said.

As an older student and a father, Stoodley feels a lot of pressure to have everything figured out. With group presentations and assignments, building his schedule around his family and daughter’s bedtime is difficult.

“Don’t let being a parent stop you from going to university. You can do it. It’s worthwhile,

and you’ll actually see it. Work for your family [...] It’s not going to be a burden,” he said.

Before law school at Queen’s, Jessica Bazor, JD ’24, worked two jobs at Leon’s Furniture and the National Bank of Canada. She worked 72 hours a week.

As a part of her undergraduate criminology degree at Carleton, she went to the Elgin Street courthouse and realized it was what she wanted to do. With two kids, she now commutes between Ottawa and law school at Queen’s.

All student parent experiences are all “wildly different,”

Bazor said.

“There are challenges that I definitely face that others don’t have. At the same time, there are more struggles other people have that I don’t,” she said in an interview with The Journal.

Despite this difference, Bazor and Stoodley have similar lifestyles. Bazor said she goes to the gym three times a week, where there’s a playroom for children. Stoodley also takes time to exercise, typically right in the morning.

They’re both early risers; Bazor wakes up between 5 and 7 a.m. and Stoodley around 4:45 a.m. After spending the day at school, both parents usually take the evening shift.

Having a supportive spouse is crucial. As Bazor commutes from Ottawa, she said having a partner to care for the kids has made a “huge” difference. Stoodley’s wife Elizabeth is a full-time mom, so the couple doesn’t have the financial burden of daycare.

Bazor also finds being a student parent isolating. Her life is too busy to meet new people, and having children can be a full-time job that’s emotionally taxing and causes sleep deprivation, she said.

While most of her peers are concerned with being successful, Bazor said she doesn’t feel the same extreme stress around school.

“I’m surrounded by my family all the time, for better or for worse. And basically, I already feel like I’ve won at life, everything else is just a cherry on top.”

Bazor said she doesn’t know many other students on campus are breastfeeding or pumping but that there should be more

accessible spaces near the Law building—even if it’s just a multipurpose room. She noted the Ban Righ Centre on campus is useful for pumping.

The Ban Righ Centre has been supporting mature women since 1974 when it was opened on campus during the early days of the women’s movement, Director Susan Belyea said in an interview with The Journal.

From the 1920s to the mid-1970s, Queen’s residences were gender-separated. When the two were amalgamated, the women’s residences had a surplus, according to Belyea. From the surplus came the Ban Righ fund.

“To this day, our finances are a little bit different from the other student services at Queen’s because we do have these historic endowed funds that generate income that is specifically just for us,” Belyea said.

Today, Ban Righ supports women on campus through student advising for academic, financial, and personal issues. Filled with rooms for napping, meditating, and working, they’re responsive to student interests, Belyea said.

Work-study students or guest chefs make a hearty vegan soup for visitors every day, filled with beans and veggies.

“My favorite thing is when I can I come downstairs from my office and can just see the lounge is full of people eating soup; students are talking with students they didn’t come in with,” Belyea said.

The centre provides emergency bursaries, awards, and holds workshops. There are a lot of mothers on campus, and around half are international students, according to Belyea.

“Any student is welcome to come in and use our services. […] Any mature women students or moms are welcome to come in and use our student advising and our emergency bursary services.”

She added there’s “very little” specific funding for student parents from the University and government, and it’s inconsistent and inadequate. She said programs that

specific issues that student parents face.

“Graduate student parents are a unique group of students in that they face additional pressures not only financially in supporting their children, but also with their time. This makes financial stability incredibly important.”

Currently, all graduate students are financially supported through funding packages which begin at a minimum of $20,000 and average around $24,000. This figure is before tuition, which is deducted from the package, leaving students with a smaller amount. This fund is meant to cover living expenses such as rent and groceries.

However, both Fowlie and Langdon admit the money from these funding packages is not enough for students, much less for student parents.

address food insecurity and the lack of options for parents are the “most significant” things Queen’s has done recently.

“Sometimes families break down in complicated ways. And sometimes students are the ones who are best situated, most stable or whatever, and able to look after a child.”

Some parents have been coming to the centre for around four or five years and their kids have grown up there.

“They’ve been there for several events, and they start to really know the place, and then they take ownership, which is adorable. You find them running around all over the place.”

Ban Righ is a place of support for any student. Belyea referenced Iranian women who witnessed horrifying events, and students in the weeks following the Turkish earthquakes.

“We become a really, really central part of that Queen’s experience for a significant number of students.”

Certain groups of student parents, such as graduate and professional students, can seek support from other means.

“The [SGPS] covers a number of students. It covers all those students in the School of Graduate Studies, and postdoctoral affairs, […] as well as Law students, medical students, and consecutive education students,” SGPS President Beth Langdon, JD ’24, said in an interview with The Journal.

The SGPS currently provides

Funding packages depend heavily on federal and provincial contributions which have remained stagnant and largely unchanged for the past 15 years, according to Fowlie. Although the University also contributes to funding, Fowlie said that the contribution is limited.

“The University is a very large operation which has many expenses to manage […] It’s often a delicate balance to ensure that all priorities are being managed.”

The result is funding that’s become less and less adequate to cover the rising cost of living, increasing the financial stress on an already financially vulnerable population, Fowlie said.

Langdon added the Kingston housing crisis has contributed to the inadequacy of current funding packages.

“I would say with Queen’s the main issue that compounds our situation compared to other schools is the cost of living in Kingston has increased quite a lot in the last few years […] Last year, the vacancy rate in Kingston was 1.2 per cent.”

“People with children, they’re more likely to need a two bedroom or perhaps even more bedroom unit. […] The cost of the twobedroom unit was up 4.9 per cent.”

When asked what the SGPS is doing to increase funding, Fowlie discussed the role they have advocating on behalf of students and their goal to work with the University to resolve students’ financial burden.

Story continued online...

Evee plays with her dad Slade Stoodley.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

Graduate students seek affordable housing after Queen’s housing complexes fill up: At the beginning of this school year, limited access to affordable housing for graduate students foreshadowed multiple cost-of-living issues that would negatively affect the graduate student experience from September to April. The University is aware graduate students are critical to its success, as we’ve seen significant efforts to increase graduate enrolment. However, without the necessary supports in place, it’s not fair to ask graduate students to sacrifice decent living standards to continue their studies.

AMS terminates Social Issues

Commissioner: The AMS’s decision to terminate its Social Issues Commissioner and handling of the aftermath didn’t exactly inspire confidence this year. There were privacy concerns that led to a lack of transparency around the decision to terminate and subsequent hiring decisions. While the urge to fill this position quickly following the termination is understandable, the response could’ve been better handled and better explained to students. Clearer divisions of jurisdiction between the two roles could have led to more ambitious initiatives and actionable directives.

Antisemitic vandalism occurs in Albert Street Residence: Antisemitism was an unfortunately often-discussed, often-covered

issue at The Journal this year. Displays of hate don’t exist in a vacuum—antisemitism is on the rise again everywhere. In the case of the then Albert Street residence, no change came out of reporting the vandalism. If the University is going to rely on equity clubs to make changes, they should at least provide adequate resources. Work done by the administration to combat hate needs to reach more students, especially the white, cisgender, affluent majority.

Queen’s Commerce club suspended after serious incident: The suspension of a Commerce club following a hazing incident in the fall semester reignited the conversation around the lack of accountability when it comes to hazing. Many students don’t perceive it as a serious issue. However, hazing culture is still deeprooted in Commerce—more so than other faculties—and one club suspension won’t automatically change that. The good news is people do care, even if they aren’t the ones with decision-making power on this issue. Even when the intentions aren’t malicious, we shouldn’t be too reluctant to make examples of people to finally bring an end to this toxic tradition.

Darts

Racist image of AMS executive candidate made public: The publicization of a racist image of a candidate this election season is a moment few on campus are likely to forget anytime soon. While the scandal did bring awareness to the scope of the issue of racism at Queen’s and in our society, it also caused harm to equity-deserving students, especially Black students. The idea of changing election policy to remove the requirement for candidates to run in teams is a no-brainer. Inaction on policy change is frustrating—hopefully next year’s AMS executive acts on this issue quickly.

Queen’s suspends Fine Art program admissions: Each week this year, we’ve seen more and more how little Queen’s is willing to invest in its creative spaces and student artists. Not only did suspending BFA admissions show the University’s true colours, but the lack of support for non-academic creative spaces which are often refuges for queer students and BIPOC is despicable. We continue to overlook the importance of art to student life, and many marginalized students could risk losing their safe spaces to this decision. The fact Queen’s previous suspension of the program didn’t solve the issues has left many wondering whether this decision is worth the consequences.

Volume 150 Issue 27 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal

Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board

Editor in Chief Ben Wrixon

Managing Editor Julia Harmsworth

Production Manager Dharmayu Desai

News Editor Asbah Ahmad

Assistant News Editors Sophia Coppolino Aimee Look Skylar Soroka

Features Editors Anne Fu Suzy Leinster

Editorials Editor Maia McCann

Editorials Illustrator Katharine Sung

Opinions Editor Sandrine Jacquot

Arts Editor Rida Chaudhry

Assistant Arts Editor Sam Goodale

Sports Editor Sarah Maat

Assistant Sports Editor Lilly Coote Lifestyle Editor Maddie Hunt

Assistant Lifestyle Editor Clanny Mugabe

Photo Editor Curtis Heinzl

Assistant Photo Editor Herbert Wang

Video Editor Mackenzie Loveys Assistant Video Editor Juan Huerta Copy Editors Vineeth Jarabana Cassandra Pao Mikayla Wilson

Graphics Editor Amna Rafiq

BIPOC Advisory Board Members Alexis Ejeckam Rose Sran Sylvia Kathirkamanathan

Contributors Ruth Osunde Dante Caloia Victoria Heath Mackenzie Dent Shannon Smithwick

Business Staff

Business Manager Chad Huang

Sales Representatives Eric Joosse Joy Shen

Fundraising Representative Grace Moffat

Social Media Coordinator Claire Schaffeler

Want to contribute?

For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editor in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca

Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions. The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHARINE SUNG

Yung Gravy takes over Miller Hall parking lot: The triumphant return of the ORT mystery concert! Concert organizers pulled off a miracle when they managed to book Yung Gravy for Orientation. As silly as it might seem to anyone over the age of 25, Gravy’s appearance meant a lot to first-years. While the concert was certainly a net positive and one of the year’s highlights, students who missed out on their Orientation experience due to the pandemic couldn’t help but feel shortchanged. More events like this concert could further elevate the Queen’s experience for students and could even reduce the appeal of street partying.

How golden is Golden Words?: We should always wish other publications on campus well. Satirical papers have had a hard time in general lately, even though they help foster community and provide great entertainment. While we’ve yet to read a single positive word about The Journal—and we won’t hold our breath—Golden Words certainly makes life more interesting. How can we appreciate good journalism without bad journalism for comparison?

Kingstonians bring holiday magic to stranded first-year student: The corniest, most Hallmark-like, goodness-filled story of the year—just in time for the holidays. When Kingstonians banded together to make the holidays special for a stranded first-year student, it reminded us Kingston doesn’t suck. Often all we see is people complaining

Laurels

about students, but lots of residents do care and the proof is in the figgy pudding. We should continue to highlight sweet stories demonstrating connections between students and other Kingstonians.

Historic AMS executive election sees three teams ratified at Assembly: Drama aside, there’s good to be said about the AMS executive election this year. Three teams were ratified, making the election a contested one for the first time in several years. It’s difficult to overstate how incredible it was to have three teams, especially coming out of a COVID-induced all-time low in student engagement. Next election season, we can hope to see even more teams ratified. The best-case scenario following this year’s election scandal would see more equity deserving students motivated to run. The buzz around this year’s election made students more aware of the AMS and voter turnout increased 5.5 per cent from last year.

Women’s Basketball makes history with U SPORTS silver medal: Women’s Basketball had one of the most exciting seasons of all sports at Queen’s this year. The decision to hire a new coach two years ago may have something to do with it as the team made nationals for the first time ever—then did it again. The team was stacked this year, and Coach Meadows also

played for Queen’s when she was a student. How’s that for a full-circle moment? The culture shift going on is profound and producing results on and off the court.

Queen’s Albert Street Residence named Endaayaan-Tkanónsote: It seems like the renaming of Albert Street Residence has been talked about forever, and now the new name is finally here: Endaayaan-Tkanónsote. It’s nice to see some level of commitment to Indigeneity on campus. The intention behind the renaming is certainly good, but it’s hard to ignore its performativity considering Queen’s has consistently neglected and struggled to implement Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity on campus. We can only hope this is just the beginning of many changes.

Residence dons vote yes to unionizing: Dons voting to unionize was a great milestone to close out the year. Returning dons will have a better idea of what they’ll be getting into the next year and can benefit from realistic and more equitable renumeration that considers building assignments and the varied donning experiences that come with them. This vote reflects a general push for unionization we’ve seen in the news and it’s exciting to see it’s reached our campus. New dons won’t have to face many of the challenges their predecessors struggled with, and residence will be better and safer for it.

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

Editorial opinions expressed in The Journal are the sole responsibility of The Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers. 190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4

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Please address complaints and grievances to the Editor in Chief and/or Managing Editor.

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Contents © 2021 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights

Invisible illness shouldn’t lead to sub-par treatment

Talking Heads...

Would you stay in Kingston for the summer? Why or why not?

Finding the zebras among the horses

The healthcare system faced extreme pressures that caused fatigue and slowed service provision at the peak of COVID-19—but what’s the excuse now?

Those in the medical industry are overworked, overstretched, and therefore, deprioritizing seemingly non-critical cases of undeserving youth with invisible illnesses. If you’ve persistently pleaded your symptoms to practitioners and have been left unsatisfied by diagnoses, treatment, or referrals, you’re not alone.

Your health is your problem and your responsibility, so advocating for thorough services can be the difference between a horse and a zebra.

Non-specialized medical practitioners are guided by probability when it comes to diagnosing patients. When they hear hoofbeats, they're taught to recognize horses, not zebras. This means they're on the lookout for common illnesses instead of exploring potential rarities, often to the detriment of young people who present as physically healthy but are needing care.

In my recent experience with Student Wellness Services (SWS), I learned persistent medical dismissal doesn’t guarantee your case is not a zebra, and my zebra is heart disease.

SWS told me my dizziness, fatigue, and irregular heartbeats were a simple case

of vertigo. After returning a few weeks later once the ‘vertigo’ was supposed to have passed, I reminded the doctor of my history of being born with heart disease and having had two surgeries. The doctor pulled out a stethoscope, listened my heartbeat, and assured me everyone has irregular beats before sending me on my way.

"Why am I always unsatisfied with non-emergency doctor appointments?

Underappreciation for students’ invisible illnesses at SWS is a common theme among my close friends. I can count on two hands the number of unsatisfactory appointments concerning everything from mental to sexual health that left my peers feeling dismissed.

In many cases, the lengthy phone waits and appointments set eons in advance all lead up to a meeting with an uninvested stranger who dedicates a whole five-minute consultation to judging the severity of your experience.

Why am I always unsatisfied with non-emergency doctor appointments? Is my anxiety only at ease after a comprehensive evaluation? Is it because I’ve seen this doctor six times and they say “nice to meet you” every time? Or is it because hours of my self-diagnosing preliminary research are dismissed when the doctor spends two minutes asking me

questions to ultimately arrive at a different diagnosis?

Going to SWS is the first time many students receive care outside their family doctor. It's often the first experience students have interacting with the healthcare system independently. The unfortunate hardships many students face with SWS teach us the need for self-advocacy, as unsatisfactory healthcare experiences force us to learn how to navigate a healthcare system that often feels as if it’s designed against us. Invisible conditions among youth continue to be under-diagnosed, even outside youth-centred spaces like Queen’s. The service-providing issues at SWS are only a microcosm of the deteriorating Canadian healthcare system.

"I wouldn't stay for the summer because I don't get to see my family that often."

Because serious illnesses are more common among middle-aged and older adults, the under-evaluation of the concerns of young adults teaches patients that tireless persistence is the only way to receive proper treatment. It's stressful needing to advocate for your symptoms and conduct your own research—putting the burden on patients doesn’t alleviate any of the fear or frustration which accompany the diagnosis of a serious illness.

As Canada’s population

"No, I want to go back home to not a small town."

ages and increased medical services are dedicated to serving the elderly, medical services across the country must actively work to ensure youth health is not set aside.

There is no shortage of prospective medical practitioners. Ask any Health Science or Life Science student at Queen’s and they will remind you of the ultra-limited spots available in medical school.

Increasing the number of trained personnel available to help patients will ensure practitioners can thoroughly care for the population, not just the easily-identifiable urgent cases.

Canada’s demographic is very different now compared to when the government introduced universal healthcare five decades ago. Federal funding is addressing the aging demographic but not patients whose conditions require more investigation. They should not have to sacrifice receiving thorough care due to a lack of funding.

Dealing with an invisible illness can be a terrifying experience. Not receiving the support to know if you are getting worse, better, or running in circles is incredibly unsettling.

To those practitioners who believe youth’s medical concerns and refer their patients to specialists: you have my deep appreciation. We need more doctors like you who are dedicated to finding the zebras among the horses.

Shannon is a fourth-year global development and environmental studies student.

"Yes! I would stay for the weather and the scenery."

"No, there are so many other places in the world to explore, we don't need to be here more than the school year."

"No, I want a paid job."

"Not receiving the support to know if you are getting worse, better, or running in circles is incredibly unsettling.

Yashfeen Afzaal, ArtSci '25

Michael Blackwell, Kin '26

Kabeesha Puvanasritharan, ConEd '26

Jordan McEwan, ArtSci '23 Sam McKnight, Exchange '24

Nick Reszetnik, ArtSci '26

Shannon Smithwick Contributor

Shannon believes the healthcare system often neglects young people.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

Culture takes over Grant Hall

Two hour show celebrates vibrant global cultures at Queen’s

Rida Chaudhry Senior Arts Editor

The African and Caribbean Students Association (ACSA) brought the heat for their first in-person Culture Show since the pandemic on April 2.

Hosted banquet style in Grant Hall, ACSA brought together cultures from the greater Queen’s community for a night of performance, art, community, and great food.

Prior to the performance, The Journal chatted with ACSA Co-President Abigail Yee Ken, ArtSci ’23, as well as Culture Show Coordinators Kiara Prashad, ArtSci ’24, and Preston Harrison, ArtSci ’24, to gain insight into their creative and logistic processes.

“The last few years have really limited what we’ve been able to do; we haven’t been able build the community as strongly as we wanted to,” Yee Ken said, reflecting on pandemic operations.

“We all agreed that we wanted this one to be a big, very warm, very community and culture-oriented event where you step in and say ‘Ah, this is so nice.’” This was surely the response received by audience members at Sunday night’s show.

With decorations ornamenting Grant Hall to follow the show’s theme “Flora and Fauna” and a group of individuals excited to observe the culture of their peers, the event was immensely welcoming to everyone in attendance.

“We wanted to promote the idea of bringing an aspect of biodiversity you’re inspired by to life,” Prashad said.

“The colour palette of the show took inspiration from that which you see in the rainforest and the performances took inspiration from the natural world around them.”

“Because COVID spread us all apart, being back in person has been slowly building up people to reconnect with others again—we wanted to

focus heavily on that,” Harrison added.

Initially, ACSA had trouble finding performers, but received an influx of interest in their show hosting Cubana night at Ale House. The show itself had eight performances, and while most were dances, there was also an original song and a presentation about art and leaving a legacy.

Opening for the ACSA dance team was a Caribana dancer decorated in pink feathers and jewels that made the audience go crazy. Thereafter, a group of student dancers performed a high-energy dance that earned a wild applause.

“Chocolate Coffee” debuted at the Culture Show, an original song by Dani that sought to reclaim common descriptors for

Black people as ones of beauty rather than condescension.

The eloquent lyrics explored her experience of navigating her identity in a society that “doesn’t want to take a sip, just wants to see her drip.” Dani’s powerful vocals filled Grant Hall and left the audience in awe after the moving performance.

The Queen’s Indian Student Association Dance Team took the stage with a group of performers in matching flowing outfits, the choreography incorporating a variety of paces and styles of traditional Indian dance. The two-part dance featured a large group of four dancers for the second, a mashup tribute to the vibrant dance culture of South Asia.

To speak on legacy,

documentation, and art, KingDavid Olajuwon was welcomed on stage. He’s a second-year photographer at Queen’s who documents the legacy of Black people and people of colour in our community. His heartfelt presentation left audience members reflecting on how they can put their potential into creation.

The closing dance of the vibrant event left the audience members wanting more. ACSA took the stage back for a final performance with a fun-loving high energy performance with each dancer holding the flags of their heritage countries.

The wholesome night left viewers buzzing with excitement and feeling proud for the beautiful cultures existing within the Queen’s community, ones which often don’t receive nearly as much visibility as they deserve.

When asked what the executive team wants students to take away from this show, they told The Journal that while this event is a space for people of colour to celebrate their cultures, all are welcome to come celebrate with them.

“There’s been times when [people of colour] have been ostracized on campus, [so] this has been a nice way to celebrate cultural communities that don’t normally get big support from Queen’s where students can dress up, feel confident, and spend time with their friends,” Harrison said.

Kingston arts shine in the summer

Breaking down the season’s must-see arts festivals and events

Sam Goodale

Assistant Arts Editor

Although the school year is winding down, the Kingston arts scene is heating up. For those interested in diving into the arts after exam season, The Journal is running

through a few of the festivals and events on offer just in time for the warmer weather.

Artfest Kingston

Returning for its fourth year, Artfest Kingston is a jam-packed event featuring artists from Ontario and Quebec. The festival will be running from July 1 to 4.

With the festival’s theme this year being “Friends Across the Water,” show producer Lory MacDonald hopes the dates

will encourage both Canadian and American visitors as it will be running for Canada Day and the Fourth of July. The festival will serve as an opportunity to celebrate the two countries’ friendship.

“[Canada and America] share so much along the waterways including transportation, recreation, food, culture, sports, tourism and more,” MacDonald said in a press release. The festival’s theme is also meant to open the festivities

to visitors from Quebec, with MacDonald citing the St. Lawrence as a vital means of connection between it and Kingston. There will be a francophone day at the festival to ensure the festivities are as inclusive as possible.

“Why not have a Francophone day at the festival too?” MacDonald said.

“It all fits with our overall vision of an art and craft festival that will enrich the lives of many and acclaim Kingston as a thriving cultural centre.”

Artfest Kingston will feature over 150 different artists, with poets showing their craft for the first time at this year’s festival. The accompanying Foodfest will ensure visitors’ appetites are satisfied, too. More info on Artfest Kingston can be found here.

Road Apples – A Tribute to the Music of the Tragically Hip

A list of Kingston’s arts events wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the city’s most revered band, The Tragically Hip. Road Apples, a Kingston-based band, has been performing The Hip’s work for decades, travelling from coast-to-coast and playing at thousands of venues.

Road Apples aims to perform The Hip’s track as closely to the source material as possible.

Their shows feature hits and deep cuts from The Hip’s discography, making them perfect for long-time fans and rookies alike.

They’re playing the Grand Theatre on April 28 at 7:30 p.m.—just in time for the conclusion of the semester. Those interested in purchasing a ticket can do so on the Grand’s website.

Skeleton Park Arts Festival

The wildly popular Skeleton Park Arts Festival (SPAF) will be returning for its fifteenth year on June 21 to 25. The event will take place at Skeleton Park—officially McBurney Park— and will feature a wide array of art and musical performances.

SPAF organizes one large festival annually in June and multiple year-round events centred around the arts. It is a vital contact point between local artists and Kingstonians, with the festival offering pop-up vendors throughout its duration. More info about SPAF can be found on their website.

***

There’s certainly no shortage of events and festivals this summer in Kingston. Hopefully you’ll check them and find yourself taken away by some incredible art!

PHOTO BY RIDA CHAUDHRY

Traditional dances and an original song debuted at Grant Hall.

Queen’s Players rocks The Mansion

Spring show sees cast members stranded on a deserted island

Anne Fu

Features Editor

Queen’s Players delivered an eclectic spring performance of “A Dollygoodes Double-Double Peteture: The Fabulous Chipwreck Schoolidge of Rock” to a sold-out audience on March 30.

Over a marathon four-hour performance, the sketch comedy musical company welcomed a chaotic crew of pop culture icons to the Living Room at The Mansion. Queen’s students laughed and sang as they watched Frank-N-Furter, Jennifer Coolidge, Alvin the Chipmunk, Sharpay and Ryan Evans, Mickey Mouse, a Queen’s Commerce student, and other characters struggle to survive after their cruise ship crashed on the Frontenac Islands.

“The way picking a theme works is our director kind of pitches the show theme during the interview process,” Queen’s Players President Brock Jekill, ArtSci ’23, told The Journal.

“We got this pitch for being having a plot of a 1000 Island cruise crashing on an island and it seemed really fun.”

The cast of Players gathers to write the script all together, making the event in its entirety a collaborative project.

In between comedic scenes, individual cast members broke out and sang solo covers on stage. As with any Players’ show, the tradition of yelling “Sing!” whenever a song title was mentioned and “Seamless!”

whenever a cast or crew member made a mistake made for a riotous night. The music selection ranged from 2000s party classics like “Disturbia” by Rihanna to alt rock hits like Panic! At The Disco’s “I Write Sins not Tragedies” and Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.,” to all of which the audience enthusiastically chanted along. The musical accompaniment,

provided by Pascal’s Weiners, was replete with grooving bass lines and blaring horns, though the cast also provided some acapella performances.

As their time on the deserted island grew, the cast’s antics descended into delightful chaos as they debated the merits of eating Alvin the Chipmunk, tried to build a raft and swim off the island, and even

held an impromptu Hunger Games tournament.

One particularly memorable sequence involved Mickey Mouse starting a fight club on the island, prompting all the characters to enter a rap battle before the cast took off their costumes and started ridiculing each other.

Omar Baboolal’s tongue-incheek performance as a self-

absorbed Commerce student riffed upon popular stereotypes of one of the University’s most well-known programs, while Duke D’Amato’s portrayal of Mickey Mouse as a vicious Disney puppet—complete with the iconic voice—was another one of the night’s standouts.

It’s no secret, however, that Players shows often play fast and loose with the plot, with the main draw being the mayhem that ensues at each performance. The cast members became increasingly inebriated— and less clothed—as the audience bought them drinks as the show went on.

All that money ultimately went to a good cause: Queen’s Players donates the proceeds of each show to charity. Last year, the show donated $43,000 to local causes.

When asked what keeps members coming back, Tiana Lam, ArtSci ’23, said the strength of the community is the glue holding Players together.

“When I joined Players, it was the first time I ever felt like I truly belong on like, the space in Queen’s,” Players Vice-President Emily Perrino, ArtSci’ 23, said in an interview with The Journal

“I just kind of clicked with everyone. There was a feeling of like, ‘oh, this is where I’m meant to be like, this is this is what I want to do.’ That’s what keeps me coming back: that sense of belonging and also the desire to kind of instill that belonging in other people.”

Queen’s Players has continued to entertain students for over a century. Their shows are surely not one to miss for any Queen’s student who wants to have a good time while also supporting a worthwhile cause.

Hip Hop albums from the 90s to rewind

Dante Caloia

Contributor

Old School rap is multifaceted. It not only has witty lyrics and poetic stories, but it also holds creative samples and heavy beats. It’s built off pain and suffering.

All over the United States and a bit in Canada, rap broke through in the 90s, becoming a staple in the music industry and paving the way for rappers today.

Down South, Goodie Mob spat political protests over chopped up beats while Dr. Dre and Snoop took over the West Coast. Out East, Mobb Deep and Nas turned the drug game into albums, and Kardinall Offishall repped Canada up North.

Without further ado, here are seven of the best albums that came out of the 90s.

Hard to Earn by Gang Starr (1994)

DJ Premier and Guru were one of the first groups that served as a trailblazer for my own dive into the genre of Old Rap, free from my dad’s influence. Before, I’d look to what he was

listening to and didn’t stray much from that.

In grade seven, I stumbled across Gang Starr’s single “Words I Manifest” off their debut album and instantly fell in love. I bought five of their albums and couldn’t stop listening. On this album, the pair are legends, and they know it.

The best track in the album is without a doubt “Mass Appeal.” With a line like “Lyrically deaf and connecting complete mic wrecking/No double-checking vocals kill like weapons,” it’s not even a competition.

The War Report by Capone N’ Noreaga (1997)

New York rap has always been the subgenre I gravitate towards. Most rap fans know of Nas and Biggie as two of Hip Hops biggest names hailing from New York. Capone N’ Noreage (CNN), although lesser known, pulls no punches in their efforts to be the best.

CNN’s samples from Illegal Life incorporates Middle Eastern influences and prolonged scene setting intros to bring you into the song. If there’s a song that could

convince you to add this album to your nighttime listening playlist, it’s “Stick You.”

The Chronic by Dr. Dre (1992)

I’ve always been an East Coast listener, but this album is legendary.

I’m always blown away when an artist produces and raps. Enter Dr. Dre, the king of the West Coast. His beats are full of unique shakers and soft hi-hats, paired with whiney synths that are infectiously funky.

A young Snoop Dogg also appears on this album quite frequently, his voice going perfectly with Dre’s cooked up instrumentals. Once you hear “One, two, three and to the fo’, Snoop Doggy Dog and Dr. Dre is at the do’” in “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang,” you don’t go back.

Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star by Black Star (1998)

Mos and Talib are both conscious rappers who use their global intelligence to spin extremely smart and witty tales about their people’s

struggles. When put together, the result is insane.

This debut album is a cry for help, a wakeup call, a deep dive into the ignorance and prejudice of America. Each song holds its own story, its own lesson, its own vibe. This is one of the few albums I can listen to start to finish without ever getting antsy.

Illmatic by Nas (1994)

While there are some who will say this should be number one—and I would normally agree—there are two albums I hold closer to my heart. With that said, Illmatic is legendary.

Nas’ rhyming and wordplay is sublime, his storytelling unmatched. With three iconic producers he created this instant hit, and I can say I’ll never be sick of this album.

“Life’s a b***h and then you die, that’s why we get high/Cuz you never know when you’re gonna go”—what else is there to say?

Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) by Wu-Tang Clan

Kung Fu?! 10 rappers?! Wild beats?! Immaculate.

Each rapper carries his own style and flow, and when I was younger sneaking into iTunes to queue “Bring Da Ruckus” I knew I loved hip hop. The best track on the album has to be “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” but you can never really go wrong with Wu-Tang Clan.

The Infamous by Mobb Deep (1995)

This steals the first spot by a long shot for me.

I’ve listened to it in every possible setting, every time of day, every mood. The songs are sad, dark, deep, and full of hidden messages. The beats contain unknown samples that each create their own unique vibe. The lyrics are true, they delve deep into the conscience of the Mobb, and their stories shock, but also shed light on what’s wrong with America.

Plus, Prodigy and Havoc were only eighteen when they made this! I genuinely don’t have a single criticism of this album.

The sold out show brought laughs to The Mansion.

SUPPLIED BY TIANA LAM

Gaels gear up for Pan Am Games

Qualification Regatta

Lilly

Assistant Sports Editor

Although most rowing takes place in the fall, the Gaels are getting ready to jump in the water this month after qualifying for the Pan Am Games Qualification Regatta.

Queen’s Rowing had an impressive season, racking up multiple medals at various regattas this fall. With a handful of athletes who competed in the National Rowing Championships—and two athletes competing for Team Canada—it’s clear the Gaels are a force to be reckoned with.

A reflection on Queen’s Rowing SPORTS

After this success, select members of the team qualified for the National Rowing Championships in Duncan, BC.

pair and men’s lightweight double. The 2023 Pan Am games will take place in Santiago, Chile next fall.

Coote

Claire Ellison, Jacquie Groenewegen, and Shaye de Paiva earned bronze in the U23 women’s pair event with Andrew Hubbard taking silver in the U23 men’s single event and a bronze in the men’s single.

Both Hubbard and de Paiva have been huge assets to the team this year, leading to them being selected alongside 15 other athletes for Team Canada in the Pan Am Games Qualification Regatta on April 15 to 19 after being recruited by Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA).

RCA is hoping to qualify nine boats at the regatta, which includes men’s and women’s sculling singles, doubles, and quads, women’s sweep pair and four, as well as men’s sweep

Queen’s Head Coach Katie Bruggeling is also making waves after being recently named RCA ‘Made in Canada’ Coach—a program for coaches who aspire to train Olympic and Paralympic coaches as part of the RCA High Performance program. Katie worked as the Queen’s assistant coach for three years before transitioning into the head coaching position in 2021.

“We are process oriented,” Bruggeling said in a press release.

Currently, Coach Bruggeling trains both the men’s and women’s teams at Queen’s and works as a performance coach for the Kingston Rowing Club.

The rowing team also has a Novice program which allows students with no prior rowing experience to train alongside the varsity squad and learn the basics of the sport.

“We do have a lot of crossover with a lot of athletes moving up to varsity, which is really cool to see. It’s definitely a cool opportunity for students,” Hubbard told The Journal.

Queen’s Rowing made their debut of

the season back in October at the Head of the Trent regatta in Peterborough, Ontario. The Gaels racked up quite the collection, including seven first place finishes, two second place finishes, and one third place finish. Their following meet, the Brock Invitational, was unfortunately canceled due to high winds and unsafe conditions.

In late October, the Gaels had a phenomenal performance at the OUA Championship, taking home eleven medals, with the women’s team finishing second overall and men’s finishing third.

The rowing team attended the Canadian University Rowing Championships in Port Dalhousie, Ontario, where the Men’s and Women’s teams both finished fourth overall, barely missing the podium. At the regatta, Queen’s women’s eight and the men’s pair took home silver medals, while the women’s lightweight four took home the bronze.

Most recently, the Gaels competed against the Western Mustangs on April 2 in London, Ontario, in a fun race to finish their season before moving into preparations for next year.

Baseball will be faster and more exciting in 2023

Ben Wrixon Editor in Chief

Baseball is back, but not quite how you might remember it.

The 2023 MLB season is underway, bringing with it the introduction of several rule changes meant to speed up the game and increase excitement. Only time will tell whether these changes prove good or bad for the sport as a whole, but the rollercoaster ride from April to October should be shorter and perhaps more eventful than in past seasons.

The pitch timer is the notable new addition for the 2023 season. Now, pitchers are limited to fifteen seconds of dead time between pitches and 20 seconds with runners on base.

Violations have consequences. When a pitcher violates the timer by not starting to throw within the allotted time, they will be punished with an automatic ‘ball’ called by the umpire. When a batter violates the timer by not getting in the batter’s box quickly enough, they will be punished with an automatic ‘strike’ called against them.

For those in favour of a faster game, the pitch timer is already proving effective: 10 of the 14 Opening Day games were

completed in less than three hours. There were 14 violations of the pitch clock across those games, three of which came in the Orioles-Red Sox game.

However, the pitch timer is not the only change Major League Baseball has implemented for the 2023 season. They’ve also introduced restrictions on defensive shifting.

Defensive shifting—the act of moving extra defenders to one side of the diamond—had become quite common in recent years as savvy teams have looked to gain a statistical advantage over hitters prone to hitting the ball to the same places. Unfortunately, hitters have failed to adjust, and league-wide offence and batting averages have plummeted as a result.

The new shifting rules are better described as limitations than an outright ban. Infielders are still allowed to position themselves wherever so long as they stay on their designed side of second base as per traditional understanding. For example, the shortstop must stay positioned on the left side of second base. Four outfielder alignments are also now prohibited.

Fan reactions to these limitations have been appropriately mixed. Many have argued it’s wrong to punish teams for being smart with their defensive alignments, but most can agree more hits are needed to generate excitement and attract new fans.

Lastly, largening bases from 15 to 18 inches square is meant to incentivize more stolen base attempts as it produces a four-and-a-half-inch reduction in distance between the bases. Bigger bases are also thought to help minimize instances of over-sliding.

Stolen bases, once a key element of the game, have been on the decline over the last decade with dominant pitching and power hitting making teams more risk averse. The margins for error have become far too thin to gamble with baserunners in recent years.

Ultimately, when taken together, the hope is the implementation of these new rules will revitalize a sport that has become increasing slow and analytical.

Everyone should benefit from a faster game. Dedicated fans will appreciate the extra half-hour they would have otherwise spent watching. Young fans will appreciate getting to watch more of the game before being forced to go to bed. Even the players, as much as they may grumble, will appreciate the reduced wear and tear on their bodies as they save time, too.

While we’re unlikely to ever return to the free-swinging days of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, there’s genuine reason to believe baseball is finally changing for the better.

The rowing team travels all over Ontario for their meets.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY A&R

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY A&R

Rowing flexes their muscles.

‘The Queen’s Journal’ Colour Awards: Vol. 150

Gaels found success this year with many historic seasons.

Our staff picks this year’s best sports performances

Sarah

Maat

Senior Sports Editor

In honour of the beloved Colour Awards put on by Queen’s Athletics and Recreation each year, The Journal has delivered its own best—and worst—sports picks of the year.

Team of the Year: Women’s Basketball

This was a no-brainer with Women’s Basketball achieving the best record in the history of the program and a second consecutive appearance at nationals.

More than just being historic, Women’s Basketball created some exceptional experiences on campus this season. The team continued to support and spearhead EDII initiatives, and continued to play

their land acknowledgement at games instead of the national anthem.

The environment they fostered for students and fans at the Critelli Cup OUA final game will also not soon be forgotten. Their success continues to create opportunities for student engagement and the entire community has bought in.

Coach of the Year: Claire Meadows, Women’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball cannot be celebrated without specifically recognizing Head Coach Claire Meadows. What she’s done with the program in just her two years here should’ve been impossible, yet it’s been done.

Meadows has started her team on a path which only goes up, and at this rate, they’re sure to reach the summit in no time.

Most unexpected result: Baseball and Fastpitch

Queen’s made magic on

the diamond this year as both Men’s Baseball and Women’s Fastpitch unexpectedly brought home provincial championship titles.

Baseball had two challenging and unlikely wins to cap off their playoff run and snag the title from the U of T, the then defending champions. In one of the closest games all season, they took out the Guelph Gryphons with a 1-0 OUA semi-final victory. Then they played the Varsity Blues for the championship and overcame an early 5-0 deficit.

Fastpitch pulled off a similar feat during their playoff weekend. After winning their first two matches of the championship, they met Western—the only other undefeated team and 11-time defending champions—in a match to send the winner to the finals.

While Queen’s lost 9-2, they punched their ticket to the finals after beating Guelph, setting the stage for a rematch and a chance to redeem themselves. They

Queen’s set to host three national championships

Women’s Soccer, Football, and Men’s Volleyball U SPORTS Championships will be held Kingston next year

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

Canadian athletes will be coming to Kingston three times next year.

The Vanier Cup announcement

last week marked the third U SPORTS national championship Queen’s is set to host during the 2023-24 school year, with the other two being Women’s Soccer and Men’s Volleyball.

Despite hurdles like pandemic cancellations and elaborate bid packages, Queen’s Athletics and Recreation (A&R) continue to find opportunities like these that are invaluable to the student-athlete experience.

“We want to give our student athletes a chance to compete at the highest level and ideally do so on home earth,” Christopher Lund, A&R Manager of Partnerships

and Communications, said in an interview with The Journal.

“First and foremost, we want to give student athletes and coaches a chance to compete in Queen’s and host their opposition here, and another part of it is as well is being a good community partner.”

Hosting three national championships is a huge task, but A&R has faith in their team and believes the key to making these events successful is collaboration. Plus, they’ve done it before— Queen’s hosted three national championships in 2021-22.

“We we’ve got the ball rolling, and we’re pretty battle-tested

did just that, defeating Western 3-2 and bringing home the gold medal and a banner.

Most disappointing season:

Men’s Rugby

Men’s Rugby went undefeated in the regular season and earned a first-round playoff bye. However, when they welcomed Laurier to Nixon field for the OUA semi-finals match, things didn’t go as planned as the Golden Hawks pulled off a 34-27 upset win.

Understandably, the Gaels were upset with their performance. They refused to make a statement after the game, tore jerseys, and embodied devastation.

Their excellent regular season shouldn’t be overlooked, though. The Gaels have what it takes to win a provincial championship and should now be even more motivated to make it happen. It will be exciting to see how they turn it around next year.

around here with national championships. So, it should be good. It’s a great opportunity, albeit an enormous amount of work,” Lund said.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity to welcome the best in Canada to Queen’s in Kingston and show them what we have to offer.”

Have no fear, Queen’s is sure to have a lot to offer next year.

The football team played in the Yates Cup for the last two consecutive seasons, and have the skill and leadership needed to go even further in the upcoming season. Women’s Soccer is also well-positioned for a successful championship campaign after going undefeated in this year’s regular season. Men’s Volleyball also shares this same potential for greatness. Although their season felt like a rollercoaster and they lost in the first round of OUA playoffs, two Gaels—Erik

Best game: Baseball OUA final

Men’s Baseball hit it out of the park this season, but their best game was undeniably their OUA finals match against U of T. Facing the defending champions and starting the game in a 5-0 deficit didn’t curb their ambition.

The Gaels wanted gold, so the whole team—and one lone pumpkin—made it happen.

The Gaels responded to the Varsity Blues’ early lead with a few runs of their own, but it barely made a dent as both teams kept up the scoring with some back-andforth action until Queen’s made some drastic headway in the top of the seventh.

They further cut into U of T’s lead, and then, with bases loaded in the eighth, Evan Bertoia’s hit brought three runners home. The Gaels plated three additional runs that inning before holding off the Mustangs for a well-deserved—and historic—13-11 victory.

Siksna and Chris Zimmerman— were recognized nationally for their excellence.

For A&R, then, the last piece of the puzzle is fans. Lund has already started thinking about what will get people excited about these championships.

“As we look more broadly and try to bring people into the fold, it’s like [with nationals] you have an opportunity to come to a gym or a stadium in your hometown and see people that you’re going to be watching on TV in a few years at the Olympics, at a women’s world cup, or on a CFL Saturday night.”

With three national championships comes three opportunities for Queen’s fans to pack the stadium, don tricolour, and make some noise for the Gaels.

“When Queen’s comes out to support Queen’s, it’s going to be a great day at the stadium,” Lund said.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

The year in sports as told by coaches and players

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

The Journal wrote countless sports articles this year, but the players and coaches have told their stories the best. Here’s a look at their most memorable lines.

To start things off: Women’s Soccer. This team never takes things too seriously.

“Soccer is a goofy game and if you don’t finish your chances, you get some goofy results.”

—Head Coach Dave McDowell after Women’s Soccer first draw of the season against uOttawa.

“On the more comedic end, […] he taught me how to not fall. In my first year, I honestly fell probably every five minutes in a game. He taught me how to stay on my feet, which has been really valuable.”

—Cecilia Way, Women’s Soccer forward, on Head Coach McDowell’s leadership during her four years at Queen’s.

Next, Men’s Baseball—another amusing team.

“Once the pumpkin was smashed the team came back from an 8-3 deficit and won. [It was] a way of getting the demons out. […] I know this sounds silly, but this was a team that was full of that kind of magic.”

—Men’s Baseball Head Coach Jeff Melrose after the team destroyed their mascot—a pumpkin—during their comeback win in the OUA final.

Quotes of the year

—Assistant Coach Wumi Agunbiade on the Women’s Basketball mindset.

Football also put in a lot of good work this year as they fought through injuries and some intense weather conditions.

“In football, you don’t get paid by the hour. It’s not like if you just go and stand around you are going to get rewarded. In football you are only rewarded for the actual work you put in. So, it’s like you are getting paid for each brick you lay, not just being there for an hour.”

—Head Coach Steve Snyder on the football team’s work ethic.

“Kingston is a university town—there’s no secret there—but it’s also a university football town and it has been for a long time. We consider this to be football country around here […] to bring this sporting event to the city for the first time is really, really special.”

Positivity and teamwork were two major themes embodied by the cross country team this year, despite the individual nature of this sport.

“I don’t care how fast you are running; if you are running, I’m rooting for you.”

—Miles Brackenbury on the team support.

“You know, it’s going to be over before you know it. So, you know, wear it with pride sort of thing.”

—Roman Mironov on the best advice he received from graduating runner Mitchell Kirby.

“It’s like we are playing with Lego; we just keep building and building.”

—Jude Wheeler-Dee on the future of the cross country team.

With all their success, Women’s Basketball was one of the most quoted teams this year.

“That was a phenomenal crowd, holy smokes. That’s like the sixth player in the game—you feed off that energy and it was great to have that support.”

—Head Coach Claire Meadows on the crowd at their OUA semi-finals game.

“A fair amount of our success came from an unwavering belief in the fact that we have something special, and we can do something special. And that belief really did translate to each of the players. Some may call it greedy, but why not win, and why not us. I don’t see a reason why we can’t do all the things we set out to do.”

—Head Coach Snyder on the Vanier Cup being held at Queen’s.

Last but not least, a few words from the head of Athletics and Recreation.

“It is like building the plane and trying to fly it at the same time. You have so many things that are happening in society as a whole that are critical and important and need sport to be an agent of change—you need to be able to design the vehicle that is going to deliver that.”

—Linda Melnick on her approach to her new position as Athletic Director

journal_sports@ams.queensu.ca

Players share their favourite memories from this year

Gaels reflect on their seasons

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

My favorite moment from the season came after the win at Laurier in our final regular season game. We managed to really dominate a top four team in the conference to close out that game.

I believe it was also the first away game that the Queen’s Band and Cheer Team attended to show support and they completely stole the show, even on Laurier’s Senior Day. The environment was already ecstatic—even more than usual after a win—then Coach Snyder announced he had invited a few members of both the Band and Cheer Team into the locker room for his post-game speech and our post-win Oil Thigh chant. You could see pure joy on every face in the room. It was a sense of school spirit I had never felt before!

—Receiver Aidan O’Neal of Men’s Football

I would have to go back to beating UVic in the quarterfinals at nationals. That game was the most emotional and rewarding one I have ever played. We showed a lot of grit in that game. It felt like all of our efforts finally paid off when Maggie Banks blocked that kick for the try. When Gibby (Lizzie Gibson) slotted that kick with no time left in the game to win it, there was definitely some tears of joy, and maybe exhaustion, shed. I have never experienced

anything like that game. It was an unforgettable game.

—Maddie Donnelly of Women’s Rugby

Of my five years at Queen’s, this season was the most memorable for me. My favourite part about this season was seeing how our team responded to the adversity and challenges we faced going into playoffs. Finishing our regular season ranked eighth and being able to have two massive upsets on the road and finishing second in the OUA was a big statement for our team. We were more than just teammates this season, and it’s something I will always remember. The support and we all had in ourselves, our teammates, and our staff was very special. The support from family, friends, Queen’s University, and the Volleyball community has made it very special to be a part of this group of amazing women and I can’t wait to cheer them on from afar.

—Outside hitter

Arielle Palermo of Women’s Volleyball

All of it. My favourite memory is

all of it. This season was absolutely magical, and it can’t be reduced to one single moment. It will forever hold a special place in my heart. Having said that, if I had to choose one, probably Claire’s pre-game speeches. That, or medalling at Nationals.

—Guard Bridget Mulholland of Women’s Basketball

My favourite team memory this year is without a doubt our exhibition tournament in Laval, Quebec. Our team went 4-0 at the tournament beating Laval, Manitoba, and Brock. Going into the Christmas break we were 3-4 and had faced a couple of the toughest teams in the OUA. The tournament also fell immediately after Christmas with all of us making our travels on Dec. 26.

To me, this shows the absolute dedication my teammates and I have for each other. We gave up travel and vacation plans to compete together, and there is nothing I would rather do. There are so many small memories from that trip that will stick with me for a long time, from the dinners at Boston Pizza to the accordion player in Old Quebec, to the bus ride following a 4-0 weekend.

I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this team this year and I can’t make more with these

Stories straight from the source.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHARINE SUNG

—Setter Chris Zimmerman of Men’s Volleyball

Queen’s is full of all-stars.

Spring wardrobe must-haves

New fashion trends have blossomed for spring 2023

Mackenzie Dent Contributor

With the ground finally thawing, longer days and spring are finally upon us. It’s time to tuck away the thick puffer jackets and woolly socks until next winter.

With every new season, new fashion trends emerge, and this spring is no exception. To name a few, Coastal Cowgirl, Ballet Core, and Moto Fashion have all taken the runways and social media by storm.

The Coastal Cowgirl aesthetic is best described as carefree. It’s heavily influenced by Western fashion and incorporates beachy elements. It features cowboy boots, flowy linens, and crochet tops. Ballet Core channels hyper-femininity and comfort, using wrap skirts, silks, and tulle. Moto Fashion, in contrast, plays with different textures such as distressed leather, studs, and chunky zippers to create an edgy look.

These emerging spring trends all feature very different aesthetics, proving navigating the world of fashion can be intimidating. If you’re looking to add new pieces to your collection this spring and don’t know where to start, here are some must-have pieces for spring that will allow you to create numerous looks while ensuring you’re dressed to impress.

First, let’s talk colour. Spring has a beautiful colour palette often inspired by nature, including flowers in bloom, the water, and a clear sky. Don’t shy away from adding pops of colour to your wardrobe.

If you need some inspiration, turn to the Pantone Color Institute for a full list of shades to incorporate into your wardrobe this spring. This year’s must-haves highlight soft hues including light pink, peach, and slate blue, as well as bright neon tones like lime green, fuschia, and bright yellow.

Next, spring weather is cool enough you can still experiment with layering, but also warm enough to break out those beautiful dresses and skirts. This spring, opt for an oversized blazer, trench coat, or leather jacket in keeping with Moto Fashion—distressed vintage leather is all the rage this spring.

All items can be dressed up for a night out or dressed down for a more casual, everyday look, while keeping versatile, warm, and unique in your fashion wear.

Unsure what to pair with your outerwear? Turn to the minimalist closet staples. These pieces can be styled in a multitude of ways, which ensures you’re getting lots of use out of your clothes. Plus, it makes putting an outfit together much easier.

Some staples in my closet I’ve

been loving this spring include cargo pants, plush knit sweaters, and simple baby tees. Crisp linens, tailored trousers, and collared blouses are necessary classics that never go out of style and can be paired with almost anything.

One word: Denim. Your favourite mom jeans, a denim skirt, a jean jacket—the possibilities styling denim are endless. It’s something I always reach for in the spring when opting to layer clothes.

Dresses and skirts are the highlight of spring fashion. After a grueling winter, nothing is better than slipping into a silk skirt on a sunny day. It’s the first taste of summer and a total mood booster.

Maxi or midi dresses and skirts are a must-have for this spring. They never go out of style, you can continue wearing them in the summer, and they look put together no matter what they’re paired with—there are no downsides. Dresses and skirts allow you to experiment with fun patterns and textures. I recommend checking thrift stores for vintage designs.

Lastly, don’t forget to accessorize. Accessories can pull together an outfit and elevate it. Bags like oversized totes are useful, and also act as statement pieces. Statement accessories—whether that’s a bag or some chunky jewelry—add a

wow factor to an otherwise simple outfit. Other staple accessories I recommend are a pair of chunky sandals, a bucket hat, and a set of your favourite sunglasses for the warming weather.

Accessories are also a great way to tie colour into your outfit. If you aren’t quite brave enough to rock clothing with bright colours or busy patterns, you aren’t alone. Instead, try opting

for a colourful piece of enamelplated jewelry. Colourful shoes, hats, and sunglasses are just a few more ways to incorporate a fun touch of colour into the outfit without straying too far from your comfort zone.

I hope these tips help you build your spring wardrobe. Get excited, because we’re one step closer to sunshine-filled days and spring inspired outfits!

How I fell in love with 70 and 80s music

Classic rock music connected with me more than current hits

Maddie Hunt

Senior Lifestyle Editor

Growing up, Fleetwood Mac was superior to the Jonas Brothers.

As a kid, you pick up a lot from your parents: their language, their style, their interests. Because you don’t know any better, slowly their favourite things start to become your favourite things. So, as someone who has a musician as a parent, I became immersed in the world of 70s and 80s music whether I liked it or not.

With speakers specifically placed in every room of the house—including the bathroom—sitting in silence became an impossible task. Even when we left the house, with no one home but our dogs, my parents left the music running.

By the time I was 10, there was no escaping the amalgamation of classic rock creatives and interestingly named innovators in the music industry. While of course, current pop hits were still present with Taylor Swifts “Love Story” and Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” lyrics intertwined in my mind, I also fell in love with Huey Lewis & The News, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, and Hall & Oats—all artists that played on the classic rock station in my house.

My parents weren’t intentionally trying to force culture down my

throat or curate an environment that would ensure matching music interests between us—though they liked Taylor Swift just as much as me. It was simply that their passion for music was so central to who they were it penetrated every aspect of their life, and as a result, my own. I found the beauty in this music effortlessly. Soul-pop confectionaries undercut messages of love, adoration, and romantic struggles. The sounds were always groovy—something you couldn’t help but dance and sing

to regardless of whether the lyrics discussed distress or love. Sometimes the line between the two blurs, anyways.

While I couldn’t yet understand the meaning of a romantic love, I knew what love was because I had family who I loved—and we all loved this music. It created an environment where I could bond with my parents in a way that would’ve been unachievable had we listened to the trending pop artists at the time like the Jonas Brothers or Justin Bieber. Instead, I can dance around my

kitchen with my mother singing Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Women” and Huey Lewis & The News’ “If This Is It.” I can go on two-hour drives with my dad up to our cottage and not say a word, but both sing along to Hall & Oates’ “She’s Gone” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way”—amongst so many others.

The relationship I had with my parents not only impacted my love for this music—and music in general—but expanded my music taste into directions I wouldn’t have otherwise found on my own.

Classic rock music soon felt like home to me. My passion for it soared beyond basic enjoyment of tempo and pitch and soon tethered itself to a reminder of my family. It latched onto the environment I first experienced it in. Hearing smooth rock tunes was a reminder of the first time I felt love—whether that was a love for my parents and sister or for the music itself, it didn’t matter. But it’s a love I wouldn’t have found had I stayed within the trending billboard hits.

I could’ve gone my entire life listening to Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift only, but expanding my horizons and giving into something new fostered a love for an interest I would’ve never found otherwise.

It’s a reminder that residing in your creative comfort zone can limit your own enjoyment, diversity, and experience. So, expand your horizons. Be open to the interests and hobbies your family and friends enjoy. The impact your environment and the people in it have on you are essential in opening your eyes to new interests, hobbies, and experiences. There’s more to your interests than what you have barricaded yourself with.

As much as Taylor is a music icon, so is Stevie Nicks.

Silk dresses are a must-have this spring.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

GRAPHIC BY AMNA RAFIQ

Our most chaotic stories of 2022-23

Stolen paintings, embarrassing dates, and meeting strangers has never been so funny

Maddie Hunt Senior Lifestyle Editor

As the year comes to an end, it’s important we reflect on the good, the bad, and the chaotically funny stories we’ve kept hidden away in our memories.

Here are some of my most favourite unhinged stories from this year.

***

I had an interesting run-in with the consequences of my own actions involving a pub downtown, a stolen painting, and the concentrated outrage of the Kingston populace.

I’ve been trying to find ways to memorialize my time in this town. At the end of a particularly memorable evening with a friend, the painting above our table was looking a bit too much like a souvenir. I felt some remorse when I realized it was an original—admittedly, not enough to return it.

In the morning, I was at a coffee shop when a friend showed me a video of what was very clearly security footage of me taking this painting off the wall with a request for its return.

Turns out it was the painting: a beloved artifact depicting the front of the establishment from days of yore. I returned it immediately with a sincerely apologetic, anonymous letter.

When I got home, I began to understand there was a manhunt going on. The security video had circulated to 18,000 views in a couple of hours, it had appeared on YGK News, and there was a printout of the picture on

Going on exchange changed my life in the best way

Victoria Heath

Contributor

Back in August, I packed my life into a 23 kg suitcase, heading to a country I’d never visited before.

After a lengthy application process and months of planning, I travelled over three thousand miles to start my exchange year abroad at Queen’s, from the University of Warwick in England. Now, with just over two weeks until my exchange year abroad is completed, I’m wishing I could do it all over again.

Here’s why you should take the jump and do it too.

As an avid traveller, the prospect of living and studying in a country I hadn’t visited before was exhilarating, but not without natural apprehension about the logistics of being far away from my family, friends, and boyfriend. Admittedly, the process can be scary.

However, the friendships you make are completely worth it.

During my time in Canada, I’ve developed such a strong support

my door, saying ominously: “WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID.”

Instagram comments called for my public whipping and theorized my nefarious intentions and origins, ranging from me being an ex-con to an RMC student as I became the receptacle for repressed townie rage.

Graciously, the establishment took down any media involving the manhunt within the day and replaced it with the painting’s return, to the applause of the Kingston comments section. I was naturally mortified, but relieved that most interactions with students in the following weeks concerning it were humorous more than anything.

I’m not defending my actions; I’m very thankful to the establishment for letting this be a

network and lifelong friendships with my roommates. They’ve been a source of fun, genuine friendship, and support both during the positive times and the inevitable down periods of missing my loved ones back home.

I’ve also made good friends with other exchange students. These relationships are invaluable as it’s so comforting to have friends who can relate to the experience and potential worries that accompany living and studying in another country.

Being on exchange also gives you the opportunity to travel and explore new places and new cultures.

In my experience, exchange students are up for travelling and exploring, so I’ve had the opportunity to travel around Canada and the United States with some of my closest friends, including trips to Washington D.C., Montreal, Ottawa and New York.

As an English literature and creative writing student at my home university, I was so excited by the plethora of course options at Queen’s both directly related to my degree, as well as in other fields like history.

It’s been enlightening to expand my knowledge in courses I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take at my home university, such as

learning experience, embarrassing story, and nothing else.

I don’t have any souvenirs, but I’ll always remember being Kingston’s most wanted for a day.

—Anonymous, ArtSci ’23

I don’t think anyone particularly enjoys dating, and I’m no exception.

Last semester, I went on a particularly memorable first date. I put on my best jeans and one of my favourite white shirts—take note of the shirt colour.

We went to dinner, ordered drinks, and chatted. My drink was halfway done when I started to feel something dripping from my nose. I realized I was having a nosebleed. I ran to the bathroom and tried to stop it, but no matter what I did it wouldn’t.

At this point I had blood all over my white shirt, my hands, etcetera. I looked like I was in a horror movie. I finally got it to stop, but by then I was embarrassed and lightheaded, so I told my date I was going home.

He walked me home and once we got to my front door—despite me looking like the bride of Frankenstein—he goes in for the kiss. I wasn’t prepared for a kiss nor the excessive amount of tongue that came with it. I broke off the kiss, politely said goodnight, and went into my house.

Needless to say, there was no second date.

—Claire Schaffeler, Social Media Coordinator

It’s hot and humid down at

the Kingston pier and I’m sitting on a beach towel after being dragged to drink coolers and watch people throw a football around. We’re waiting for our friend to finish work and meet us when it begins to pour, and everyone scatters like ants.

I rush over to my housemate, and she’s surrounded by three guys. We go through the introductions, and I don’t take in any of their names, assuming I’ll never see them again. I can tell they’re older than us by a few years, later finding out they’ve just graduated from their Master’s. The blonde one asks us if we want to wait for our friend in his car because he drove, and we happily take them up on their offer. We just met these random men, they’re definitely old and could kidnap us, but it’s summer and summer is all about saying yes. So, that’s what we did. After showing us their four-foot-tall collection of Greek yogurt containers (as gym rat men do) sharing most embarrassing first date stories (one guy pooped his pants), I got restless and suggested throwing the football around on the patio.

I guess I wasn’t thinking about the logistics because suddenly I was getting linebacker tackled to concrete floor, bruising my shoulder, and upon leaving, learning my housemate forgot her bag at their apartment. While chaotic and risky, it was a night to remember and, to this day, I still see them whenever they come back to visit Kingston.

—Suzy Leinster, Features Editor

From the UK to Queen’s: Why you should go on exchange

“Canadian Literature” and “True Crime Memoir.”

I’ve also embarked on an internship at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, an experience which immersed me in the local Kingston life.

Living in another country for eight months allows you to gain such a deep understanding of cultural intricacies you wouldn’t otherwise have had time to experience on a short vacation.

I’ve been able to find out the best restaurants and shops that aren’t in the UK, become familiar with Canadian phrases, enjoy Canada in all four seasons and realise just how much snow can fall here in the winter.

Studying and living abroad makes you appreciate life back at home even more, too. Each time I returned to the UK during my study year abroad, I felt a renewed gratitude for the simplest things: talking to my loved ones in real life, not through a screen; the familiarity of my local supermarket; and hearing the accent of my

hometown after so many months away.

Having said this, choosing to go on an exchange isn’t without its difficulties. There are all the formalities you must go through before you even step foot in your host country: an endless stream of application papers, finding housing and organizing the logistics of travelling and flights, and navigating time differences when staying in touch with friends and family.

All of the problems you might face on an exchange are overshadowed by the awesome feeling of growing independence

and confidence in your self-sufficiency.

As I head back to the University of Warwick for my final year of undergraduate study, I’m instilled with an unforgettable experience I highly recommend to anyone with the opportunity to do so.

There will be inevitable apprehensions, worries, doubts, and fears that may accompany your debate to study abroad. You’ll wonder if you’re strong enough to embark on an exchange.

Regardless of what apprehensions you may have, the answer is a resounding yes.

The Queen’s student population is full of fun stories to share.

GRAPHIC BY AMNA RAFIQ

Ben and Julia say goodbye to The Journal

Ben Wrixon, Editor in Chief

Goodbyes are hard.

While there are a million things on my mind, beginning by saying thank you feels like the most appropriate place to start.

To Matt and Raechel: thank you for taking a chance on me in Volume 148. You were my gateway into The Journal and continue to inspire me. Your kindness, welcoming attitudes, and support were exactly what I needed at that time in my life.

To Aysha and Shelby: thank you for putting me in a leadership position in Volume 149. Your wisdom and perspective challenged me to grow into a better version of myself. I’ve always wanted to make you proud, and I hope I’ve done that in some way.

To Asbah and Cassidy: thank you for rising to the occasion. It’s been a pleasure working with you both over the last few years. You’re exceptional journalists, and more importantly, great people with your hearts in the right place. The Journal is in excellent hands.

To Julia: thank you for being my Managing Editor. I felt like I won the lottery when you accepted the job, and you’ve only exceeded my expectations. You’ve kept my head on straight, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and most of all, become one of my closest friends. There’s no one else I would have rather run this paper with—even if you don’t eat vegetables.

Last Words

And, finally, to the Volume 150 team: thank you for trusting me to be your leader. Guiding our staff through the school year was a privilege I never took lightly. No words can express the gratitude I feel towards you all or the joy you have brought me. I cannot wait to watch you all accomplish amazing things, be it at The Journal or elsewhere.

Speaking of The Journal, I owe it some thanks, too.

When I joined QJ in my third year, I was struggling to find my place at Queen’s. I was halfway through a psychology degree I didn’t want anymore, had just moved into a new house, and felt my university experience becoming disappointing and directionless.

Working at The Journal gave me a purpose. It gave me an opportunity to do work I felt mattered while putting my reading, writing, and editing skills into action. However, it wasn’t until this year that I truly bought into the culture.

I used to challenge myself to see how quickly I could get my stories finished. I’d go to The Journal house as early as possible on Thursdays to grind out my layout. Eventually, though, I realized I’d been missing the best part of working at The Journal

It’s about the people. It’s about the relationships. It’s about losing your mind when InDesign stops working at one in the morning but knowing—deep down—there’s still no place you’d rather be than in the layout room with the team. Your friends.

That’s what made this year so special: forming those relationships myself, but also watching them happen

between our staff members. Getting to see friendships blossom in real time was genuinely beautiful, and I feel so lucky to have been there.

I’m going to miss those long press days that turn into press nights. I’m going to miss going to editorial board on Tuesdays. I’m going to miss delivering the papers on Saturdays. I’m going to miss throwing Golden Words in the garbage when they put their flyers in our newsstands.

More than anything, though, I’m going to miss The Journal Ben is grateful to the people at The Journal.

Julia Harmsworth, Managing Editor

When I took this job, I was sitting on a bed in a hotel room in the Edinburgh Courtyard Marriot. Now, I’m sitting in my little, black, wheely chair in my office writing this with a garden gnome on my desk. What a pipeline.

The Journal has been my lifeline throughout my time at Queen’s. Writing questionable Lifestyle and Arts stories in first year gave me something to think about other than how much I hated res. Being an over-eager newsie in second year gave me something to work and improve at in a pandemic world that felt increasingly purposeless.

Working as Managing Editor this year is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s tested my patience, my good humour, and my leadership skills. It’s made me question my ability to be on top of everything, all the time—something I always thought I was so good at.

It’s also the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve had the privilege of

loving my job, of looking forward to going into ‘the office’, of feeling like I’m doing something important. It’s been the greatest learning experience of my life, and as a huge nerd who loves learning more than anything else, I’m thankful.

To our intelligent, talented, wonderful staff—you taught me so much. You taught me what real passion, dedication, teamwork, and coffee addiction look like. I’ve always said The Journal attracts the best group of students on campus, and you proved me right.

I’ve said it before, but I can’t say it enough: every Tuesday, I was so grateful to see your faces in the couch room at ed board. As someone who fell in love with The Journal over Zoom, I’m thankful to have been given the opportunity to do this work with you in-person.

To Raechel and Matt—thank you for not giving me the job I applied for. I’ll always admire you for leading gracefully through an unideal situation and making the best of it. This whole year, all I’ve tried to do is live up to you. Thanks for setting that example.

Daniel and Fiona, thank you for Quilt, and for filling the hole in my heart The Journal left when I couldn’t come back last year. I miss those days in Watson 411.

Sarah, my best friend, my housemate, my soulmate—you’ve been on this journey with me from the beginning. Thank you for walking into this empty, quiet house with me on Contributor Day in 2019, for keeping me company in the living room when I wrote my News stories, and for staying much later than you had to on press days so we could go home together.

Thank you for always lending

an ear, even when you didn’t have time to. You’ve always been my biggest supporter and I’m so grateful for that. Thanks for telling me to take this job—you were right.

Ben, I’ve had the most amazing time steering this ship with you. Thank you for always trusting me, having faith in me, sticking up for me, and treating me as an equal. Every day, you taught me what respectful, collaborative, productive dialogue looks like. Whenever something inevitably went wrong, I knew it would be okay because we’d figure it out together.

This was a hard year, but even through the toughest parts, you made me laugh every single day. Thank you for being the best partner I could ask for. I couldn’t have done this with anyone else.

Finally, to Asbah and Cassidy—I am over the moon excited for you two. I know you’ll crush it because you care about this place so deeply. Cassidy, I’m so glad to see the Volume 148 News family carrying on. Asbah, we call you King of QJ for a reason: you know more about The Journal than Ben or I ever will, and that will serve you well next year.

Remember: if we didn’t burn this place to the ground, neither will you. When things get difficult, lean on each other and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. And maybe get some black mats downstairs.

I don’t know how I’m going to make it home after locking the door on this last press day, but I’m elated knowing it’ll be unlocked again by the next generation of Journal staff. I hope they find a home here like I did.

Julia is ready to keep learning.

The Editor in Chief and Managing Editor are grateful for their time at The Journal.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL