The Queen's Journal, Issue 28

AMS Elections

Presidential candidates conclude debates

Photo by Corey Lablans

The presidential debate on Wednesday night drew a larger crowd than either of the previous two nights’ debates. There were approximately 70 people in attendance.

B y Vincent M atak , S avoula S tylianou M eaghan Wray Journal Staff

and

At the all-candidates debate for AMS president, all three teams agreed the most difficult decision

faced by this year’s executive was the Queen’s Bands suspension.

The debate took place in the Lower Ceilidh of the JDUC on Wednesday night.

Teams JDL and GPP generally agreed they would’ve handled the situation in a similar way had they

been in office at the time.

“It was a great example of why we need to keep the non-academic discipline system the way it is,” said Rico Garcia, presidential candidate for team GPP. “We need to create educational sanctions rather than punitive ones.”

Team RMS contested the way the information was relayed to the public during the scandal.

“What it comes down to is information control,” presidential candidate Jeffrey McCarthy said.

“It shouldn’t have been released before the AMS could do

something about it.”

In general, teams agreed on major points.

One of the first topics brought up was how the candidates would work with faculty societies other than the Arts and Science See Mental on page 7

F r i d ay , J a n u a r y 2 7 , 2 0 1 2 — I s s u e 2 8

j the ournal Queen’s University — Since 1873

Business

MyBar to close after a decade B y K atherine Fernandez -B lance News Editor After 10 years at its 347 Princess St. location, MyBar will see its last partygoers tomorrow night.

“At the end of 10 years I thought it best to just retire the brand and call it a day and see what comes up in the future,” owner Gavin Stainton said. “I feel like it’s run its course. It’s done way more than I ever expected it was going to do.”

Stainton said he’s closing MyBar for a fresh start.

“It’s been pretty consuming for 10 years, I’m a little older now than when I opened the place so it’s a MyBar first opened in 2002. It will close for good on Saturday. different market for me,” he said.

Stainton said in the past two to come into a club if the club’s bar hasn’t had any issues with the not doing anything,” Stainton said, Alcohol and Gaming Commission years, sales hit a plateau.

On its busiest nights, MyBar adding that this helped broaden of Ontario that regulates alcohol sales. meets its capacity of 149 people, MyBar’s clientele.

Stainton opened MyBar at “For the most part over the but on weeknights this has proven 10 years, we saw growth and the age of 24, after spending two less likely.

With the exception of special improvement almost every single and a half years in the Queen’s events, the nightclub has never year,” he said. “At the end of the Commerce program.

“I was doing a bit of research day MyBar could last for another charged cover. even before I knew I was going to “I don’t feel like people should 10 years and still be profitable.”

Over the years, Stainton said the be in the bar business,” he said. “I have to pay for the privilege just

dialogue

arts

sports

A law student’s view on the high-profile Shafia trial in Kingston.

Page 9

Interview with Queen’s medical student and rapper Egyptian Prescription.

Page 13

Sizing up the playoff picture for Queen’s varsity teams. page 20

Academics

Alumni donate $500K B y Vincent M atak Staff Writer

Photo by Justin Chin

A B.C.-based mining company led by two Queen’s alumni has donated $500,000 to the University.

The money, to be spread over a five-year period by Endeavour Silver Corporation, will fund Queen’s students in geological science and geological engineering at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Seventy per cent of the donated money will go towards establishing an endowment fund for the

felt that if I was spending money for a degree that I wasn’t really paying attention to … I was going See Corporate on page 7 to find something else to focus on that was going to drive me.”

Bomb threat Stainton left Queen’s and never returned to graduate. As a Kingston disrupts trial native, he channeled his time into Kingston commerce, first working The Shafia trial taking place at the at the now-defunct S & R and then Frontenac County Courthouse See Sales on page 7 was interrupted yesterday due to a reported bomb threat.

The Shafia trial, concerning the alleged honour killings of four women at Kingston Mills in 2009, has been ongoing since October.

The jury is set to be sequestered to make their final decision by the end of the week.

Kingston Police received a call from courthouse staff at 9:35 a.m. about a security threat in the building. By 10 a.m., everyone had postscript been evacuated.

Exploring a campus club’s National media outlets such forray into role-playing as the Globe and Mail and the games.

National Post confirmed the Page 24 security concern was a bomb threat.

See No arrests on page 6

news

2 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, january 27, 2012

AMS ElEctionS

On the campaign trail with executive candidates Presidential candidate Rico Garcia said the team recognizes that they need to maintain a certain disposition during campaigning.

“We need to give that positivity out to people while campaigning,” Garcia, ArtSci ’13, said.

The best part about campaigning has been meeting and interacting with students, he said.

“The ultimate goal we have is not winning the election, but making student government better and making students more aware and engaged.”

Team GPP starts every morning

with an 8 a.m. visit to their campus booth.

The team does their first class talk at 8:30 a.m.

Garcia said the team has worked hard to reach out to smaller classes for class talks.

“I emailed every professor in the Spanish department in Spanish and asked if we could come and do class talks,” Garcia said.

The campaigning has taken its toll on the team, said vice-presidential candidate for university affairs T.K. Pritchard.

“I wanted to create a hashtag

on Twitter that would say ‘#campaignproblems’ and write about how I have no food in my house,” Pritchard, ArtSci ’12, said.

Pritchard also had to call CAA to the corner of University and Union during campaigning.

“I had used my car to blast music at the booth and killed my car battery — that was embarrassing.”

Team JDL has developed their sprinting skills in the past week of campaigning.

Often running from different ends of campus to different class talks, the fast-paced nature of

AMS election period is hectic, said vice-president of operations candidate Tristan Lee. “It kind of pumps you up too,” Lee, ArtSci ’12, said. “It’s a very adrenaline-filled day.”

JDL strives to do a class talk every half hour, every day, in front of a variety of classes and years.

Lee said the 10-day AMS campaigning period is almost like leading an alternative life.

“We’re not going to classes right now. It’s literally just talking to people all day long which is so fun

and it’s putting out our message,” Lee said.

Presidential candidate Doug Johnson said one of the most rewarding aspects of doing class talks is seeing student reactions.

“When one of us is speaking, we make sure that the other two are scanning the audience just to see what’re they reacting to,” Johnson, ArtSci ’12, said. “On that, we tweak our class talk a little, even based on what kind of class we’re going into to appeal to different audiences.”

The team’s mantra, “stay

hungry,” has both a serious and fun aspect.

Johnson said if his two teammates aren’t eating, they’re talking about food. He added that their campaign manager, Keenan Randall, often will text message the team as a reminder for vice-presidential candidate of university affairs Mira Dineen to eat.

“He’s still directing us from his cell phone,” he said. “He’s the best.”

— Meaghan Wray

be polite no matter what they said.

“People even clapped when I handed out signature forms,” he said, adding that the team does about four class talks per day.

Jeffrey McCarthy said there were no practices in place to give the candidates extensions during the campaign.

Bryor Snefjella, vice-presidential candidate of operations, said his team’s campaign was led with honesty.

“We’re trying to avoid gimmicks like handing out merchandise,” Snefjella, ArtSci ’12, said. “It doesn’t make sense for us to hand out things that people will use once and then throw away. It’s not sustainable.”

— Catherine Owsik

Team RMS is running their campaign and manning their booth without volunteers or a campaign manager.

directly to us. We want to show our personalities and not just necessarily push politics.”

Since last Friday the team has sat at a table at various places on campus from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The team said because they’re dedicated to being available at the booth, attending their lectures and seminars is difficult. On Wednesday Renaud missed a tutorial worth Photo by Corey LabLans two per cent of his grade to stay at “It’s been hard work but it’s the booth while his teammates did worth it,” said Sean Renaud, vice- a class talk. presidential candidate of university Renaud said during class talks affairs. “We want students to talk most of the time students would

Te a m G P P

Photo by Corey LabLans

Team GPP had a debate ritual this week.

“We hug before the debate, during the middle break of the

debate and at the end of the debate,” said vice-presidential candidate of operations Duncan Peterson, ArtSci ’11.

Te a m J D L

Photo by Corey LabLans

Te a m R M S

— Savoula Stylianou

c l a r i F i c a t i o N Team GPP’s platform looks to turn the outdoor space near the Erikson Wing of the JDUC, Pigeon Alley into a performance space.

Incorrect information appeared in the Jan. 24 issue of the Journal.

Quality professionals, comfortable atmosphere!

YOUR PURCHASE WITHYOUR STUDENT CARD

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•3

Feature Photo by Justin Chin

health

Sleep-deprived students seek help Parasomnias, insomnia and delayed sleep-phase syndrome are the most common sleep disorders among students B y J anina E nrile Assistant Features Editor Tara Russell fell asleep in a Pilates class last summer.

“I’ll just be doing something and then I’ll fall asleep,” Russell, ArtSci ’13, said. “I’ll be in lecture listening, then fall asleep and miss the entire thing.

“I fell asleep during a calculus exam in high school once and missed the whole thing. That was bad.”

Students whose sleep issues can’t be diagnosed during a daytime appointment with a physician are referred to the Kingston General Hospital (KGH) sleep laboratory.

Russell started seeing doctors at KGH in October.

“It’s gotten worse since I got to university, and the last semester was just ridiculous,” she said. “I couldn’t stay awake for anything, which is why I decided to get help.”

Earlier this month, sleep lab staff attached electrodes to Russell’s scalp and face to help create a polysomnogram, tracking the five stages of sleep. As she slept, two technicians monitored Russell’s breathing, leg movements and eye movements.

“I wasn’t allowed any caffeine,” she said, adding that she has at least two to three cups of coffee a day to try to stay awake. Without any caffeine, technicians could better understand the cause of her problem.

The lab can accommodate up to six patients every night.

Each patient gets a private room equipped with video cameras to ensure hospital staff don’t miss any unusual behaviour that could indicate a specific disorder.

Restless leg syndrome is characterized by sensations in the body urging a person to move their limbs. Parasomnias, common among Canadians, include abnormal sleep behaviour like sleep

walking or night terrors.

KGH sleep specialists say insomnia is the most common disorder, affecting one third of Canadians over 18 years old.

“I think that these things are so common and sometimes so simple that sometimes a sleep specialist isn’t necessary,” said Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick, medical director at the KGH sleep lab.

Fitzpatrick said people can self-diagnose if they know how to identify the symptoms of a sleep disorder.

“They may be right in saying they can’t sleep at night because they’re taking too much caffeine or working until late at night,” he said. “Very often the patient or the person has good insight into their own problems.”

According to Fitzpatrick, treating a sleep disorder with medication isn’t always effective.

“If you take a sleeping tablet it may be effective for one night or a few nights, but it quickly runs out of steam,” he said.

“Then you’re really stuck because you’re taking the tablets and you can’t get to sleep, but you can’t stop taking the tablet because if you do … it’ll get even worse.”

I’ll be in lecture “listening, then fall

asleep and miss the entire thing.

”

— Tara Russell, ArtSci ’13

To prevent this cycle, Fitzpatrick said people need to practice sleep hygiene — reducing activity before sleep, limiting caffeine intake and avoiding TV before bed.

If that doesn’t work, Fitzpatrick recommends meeting with a physician.

“Very often the physician will be able to make good suggestions and

help them out, and will get most patients by without a problem,” Fitzpatrick said. “If they’re not successful, then they’ll refer the patient to a sleep specialist.”

A small portion of Fitzpatrick’s patients are students whose busy schedules keep them from getting enough sleep. For some students, resolving sleep issues is as easy as working 10-minute naps into their daily schedule.

“If they sleep for more than half an hour, they get into … so-called ‘slow-wave sleep,’” he said.

“That’s going to make them very groggy when they wake up and they have great difficulty getting back to feeling really alert and refreshed again.”

Falling asleep late and waking up early can cause students to develop delayed sleep phase syndrome. The disorder, common in people 17 to 25, can lead to insomnia later in life.

Fitzpatrick said students should also limit alcohol and marijuana use if they want to fully benefit from sleep.

Though both substances help the user get to sleep easily, they decrease the amount of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, putting them at risk of missing any brain development that occurs during sleep.

The fifth stage of sleep is classified as most important because it contains REM sleep — when dreaming occurs due to increased brain activity.

“During that sleep stage, we’re dreaming. We’re paralyzed [and] our eyes are intermittently twitching,” Fitzpatrick said.

Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS) regularly creates accommodation plans to help students diagnosed with sleep disorders.

These cases are defined by disability services as chronic illnesses, a category that registered

86 students in the fall.

Narcolepsy, sleepiness during the day, is a common one among the students that register, disability services advisor Jeannette Parsons said.

“The accommodation for these students is often things like having some extra time on an exam … or a signal to the professor that the student may require an extension on an assignment.”

Students diagnosed with insomnia need more sleep to function the way ordinary students do — qualifying them for disability services support.

If you take a “sleeping tablet it may

be effective for one night or a few nights, but it quickly runs out of steam.

”

— Michael Fitzpatrick, KGH sleep lab director

“We work with the exams office to schedule certain exams at certain times of the day,” Parsons said. “We also have control over scheduling the exams on certain days so there might be a day in between so that students can have a day to rest between one exam and the other.”

Parsons asks to see documentation from a doctor to verify the student’s problem classifies as debilitating.

“Based on the documentation, we interview the student,” she said. “Based on what their needs are, we develop accommodation for them.”

Russell has yet to appeal to HCDS for accommodations.

“I’d just be happy to find a solution,” she said.

Russell hasn’t been formally diagnosed yet.

— With files from Terra-Ann Arnone

Patients at Kingston General Hospital’s sleep laboratory sleep with electrodes attached to their scalp and face in order to track their five stages of sleep.

Stages of sleep Stage one Thoughts drift off and awareness is reduced.

Stage two People spend 50 to 60 per cent of their night in stage two, classified as light sleep.

Stage three This occurs in the first half of the night and is referred to as deep sleep by specialists.

Stage four Like stage three, stage four is considered deep sleep. A louder, more meaningful noise, like a person’s name, is needed to wake them up.

Stage five (REM) This occurs about every 90 minutes while asleep, mostly in the second half of the night, when most dreaming happens.

— Source: Canadian Sleep Society

Photo by Justin Chin

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News

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FAcultY ElEctionS

One contender for EngSoc President

Candidate Taylor Wheeler stresses importance of improving image of Engineering students

B y a Sad c hiShti Assistant Photography Editor

For the first time in over 10 years, the presidential candidate for the Engineering Society (EngSoc) is running unopposed.

Taylor Wheeler, Sci ’13, spoke at the ILC atrium for the presidential debate on Wednesday night. The event was attended by almost 50 Engineering students.

He said that while he has no EngSoc experience outside of being a FREC, he wants to promote teamwork, accountability and personal responsibility within the Society.

One of his platform points is to increase

accessibility and participation in EngSoc. “The way the Engineering Society is run right now is by a few people, doing a lot of work. The volunteers need to be commended but we need to get more people interested in EngSoc. The vast majority are indifferent,” Wheeler told the audience.

“Whether or not all the students engage with the Society, they deserve to be represented.”

Wheeler said he wants to improve the image of Engineering students at Queen’s and in Kingston.

“If we do a better job with our image in this world ... in the city of Kingston,

Taylor Wheeler, Sci ’13, is the first EngSoc presidential candidate to run unopposed in over 10 years.

Photo by asaD Chishti

WAnt ElEction RESultS?

SEE QuEEnSJouRnAl.cA on WEdnESdAY niGHt

CAMPUS CALENDAR Friday, Jan. 27

Tuesday, Jan. 31

The power of one MP: Elizabeth May, MP and leader of the Green Party Ban Righ Hall Noon to 1 p.m.

Campus election voting Online, check webmail Continues until Feb. 1

Saturday, Jan. 28

One cent copy day P&CC, JDUC All day

OPIRG’s activism 101 Queen’s Centre, room 506 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Existere presents: EXCETERA V Grant Hall Shows at 2 and 7 p.m. and on Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. $2 at the door

Wednesday, Feb. 1

QSAA: Are you interview ready?

Dunning Hall, room 11 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Free with student card

alumni would be more interested in hiring us and we’d better engage current members of EngSoc who are future alumni,” he said.

Wheeler declined multiple interview requests from the Journal.

At the debate, he said he had little knowledge of the time commitment involved

or the position’s role.

“I am prepared to take a fifth year. My course load is heavy this year so it’ll be interesting if I’ll have to drop a course, though I don’t foresee this happening, for transitioning,” he said.

News

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Friday, January 27, 2012

AMs elections

Vice-presidential candidates collide in debate Candidates argue over feasibility of reopening the Physical Education Centre B y J ordan R ay, A lison S houldice and M eaghan Wray Journal Staff The AMS vice-presidential candidates debate saw clashing views between the teams running for AMS executive.

The debate, which occurred at Common Ground on Tuesday night, attracted around 50 people, who, like the previous debate, were mainly AMS members.

One of the recurring themes at the debate was the possibility of resuming use of the Physical Education Centre (PEC).

Much of the open discussion revolved around whether or not it would be cost efficient to reopen the 80-year-old building.

Team RMS didn’t address the PEC in their platform but said that a focus on short-term goals and details is more feasible.

“It would be a shame to start a large project … and not see it continue,” said vice-presidential candidate of operations Bryor Snefjella on Tuesday.

Similarly, team GPP said it’s more realistic to offer students goals that can be accomplished within the one-year term.

“This is something the University simply cannot sustain, it’s just not possible,” vice-presidential

candidate of operations Duncan Peterson said.

For team JDL, putting the PEC back in use is a main focus of their platform.

“Nothing prevents this project from being possible,” vice-presidential candidate of operations Tristan Lee said. “[The Queen’s Centre] project was supposed to be funded partially by the student body … it’s a failure for us as students.”

Following these statements, a disagreement between teams GPP and JDL arose centering on the collection of financial quotes for the resumption of the PEC as a student space.

“This is a very long-term initiative that we’ve put into place,” Lee said.

“It’s impossible to come up with a quote for the building at this point.”

In a rebuttal, team GPP presidential candidate Rico Garcia said it would cost more than $2.2 million to finance this project.

Team JDL questioned how the team obtained the number.

Lee said after consulting Physical Plant Services, coming up with estimations wasn’t possible at this time.

“I’d be very interested to hear where you guys got that and would be concerned if you were spreading misinformation about this project,” Lee, ArtSci ’12, said.

Another point of contention in the latter half of the debate surrounded the rebranding of Alfie’s and the possibility of hosting first-year events at the on-campus club.

As a major platform point, team GPP said it’s important to include first-years, and that this will also help generate future revenue for Alfie’s if the students remain patrons in later years.

“There would be no drinking but it would be a revenue-generating thing,” Garcia, ArtSci ’13, said. “If you charge cover to that, you can make a revenue.”

Team RMS agreed that first year Alfie’s nights would be a good idea. Unlike the other two teams, Snefjella strongly advocated for the renaming and rebranding of Alfie’s.

He stated respect for Alfred Pierce and the history of racism tied to the name as his reasons for doing so.

“If we can get people into Alfie’s, they will keep returning in later years,” Snefjella said.

Lee of team JDL wasn’t in favour of having a first-year night at Alfie’s. He said it would pose logistical problems in terms of training and safety.

“Special events nights are not profitable for the services at all,” Lee said. graphic by Justin Chin

Campus elections

Communication a priority for sole MCRC team CYL hopes to add feedback section to website, increase first-year involvement and inform on residence rules B y A lison S houldice Staff Writer The sole team running for Main Campus Residence Council (MCRC) executive includes a familiar face.

Presidential candidate Tuba Chishti for team CYL ran in last year’s race for the position of vice-president of residence affairs in team MCF. “After running and losing last year at first I wasn’t going to do anything, but I still felt there was a lot I could add to the society, and that I could learn from the society,” she said. “I’ve grown a lot.”

Her teammates for the Feb. 1 election are vice-presidential candidate of residence affairs Dorothy Yu and vice-presidential candidate of discipline John Liu. Chishti said if elected, she would work to increase communication between the MCRC and its residents by adding a feedback section to the MCRC website, putting executive reports online and connecting with residents directly.

“We can literally go knocking on doors,” Chishti, ArtSci ’14, said.

She said her team is qualified based on their current roles.

“We are all running for our boss’s position,” she said. “We know what kind of management you have to do, because we’ve seen it.”

Yu said she wants to increase don interaction between residence buildings in order to create a tight-knit community.

Yu added that she wants to continue the current executive’s initiative to involve first-year students in the Council.

This year, the MCRC executive added a first-year position, event assistant, to its staff.

“They acted like interns towards the president. It’s a valuable opportunity,” Yu, ArtSci ’14, said. “We want to increase that and increase first-year involvement in general.”

Liu said his main focus would be informing students about the existing residence rules.

“MCRC deals with damage control,” he said. “But we need to raise awareness from the beginning.”

Liu said this could be done by putting up posters in the residences that would outline the rules and why it’s important to respect them.

Currently, Liu doesn’t know how much this would cost, but said it would be minimal and posters would be more specific than in previous years.

“We’ll be able to promote it more exclusively — it’d more specialized,” Liu said.

According to Liu, team CYL strongly believes in remedial action instead of punitive action.

This is something they’d like to continue through the MCRC’s Peer Judicial Board.

The Peer Judicial Board members discuss Residence Rules and conduct hearings for residents who are charged in violation of the

MCRC candidates include (left to right): Tuba Chishti, Dorothy Yu and John Liu.

rules. Currently, a chair and appeals co-ordinator sit on this board, as well as members at large, who are student-volunteers.

Liu said he believes residents respond better to their peers than they do to administration when it comes to disciplinary action.

“They will respect us if we show them that we’ve been through what [they’re] going through,” he said. “There’s a level of understanding that you can’t have with admin.”

All three candidates currently hold positions with the MCRC this year. Chishti is events co-ordinator, Yu is the house president for Adelaide and Ban Righ Halls, and Liu is McNeil house’s residence facilitator.

— With files from Meaghan Wray

Photo by corey lablans

No arrests made Continued from page 1

Media relations officer for Kingston Police, Constable Steven Koopman didn’t confirm the nature of the security concern.

“We’re not confirming or denying that it was a bomb threat,” he said.

Koopman said heightened security measures were put in place after the threat, including asking for photo ID from anyone entering the courthouse.

“Before, we were being discretionary with our metal detectors and only had them positioned before you entered the courtroom,” he said. “Now metal detectors will be used as soon as you walk into the front door of

the building.”

Koopman added that the trial was supposed to resume at 1 p.m. but was delayed until 2:30 p.m.

“It was a slow process getting everyone back into the courtroom,” he said.

The court house is adjacent to the east end of the campus, near the Grad Club.

The security measures will be ongoing.

Koopman said no one was injured during the evacuation and no arrests have been made.

— Savoula Stylianou

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Mental health and academics hot topics Continued from page 1

Undergraduate Society (ASUS).

Garcia said his team is already aware of challenges affecting other faculties including Concurrent Education.

“With the change to the GPA system, ConEd students are now being graded on a one, two, three, four point scale,” he said.

“Other faculties, like Engineering and Commerce, are being graded differently than Arts and Science students.”

Team JDL presidential candidate Doug Johnson agreed with Garcia, adding that the tight schedules of smaller faculties, like Nursing, often pose significant barriers to selecting elective courses.

“We want to present a full list of electives that are available that fit into their schedule,” he said. “It’s way too hard for a Nursing student to navigate SOLUS.” McCarthy also mentioned issues faced by ConEd students.

“Admissions have jumped up to 170 from 110,” he said. “It affects the class format of being in ConEd.” Teams took similar standpoints to mental health resources on campus.

The question came up after the debate was opened up to all candidates on each team.

Increasing the accessibility of Peer Support Centre was a point generally agreed upon by all three teams.

One of JDL’s long-term goals is the reopening of the Physical Education Centre (PEC), which

graPhiC by Janghan hong

would in turn supply more room for student counselling.

“The Peer Support Centre offers something I’d say the university can’t,” said JDL vice-presidential candidate of university affairs Mira Dineen. “It’s in our platform that we really prioritize finding more space for counselling.”

Team GPP said they’d like to keep the Peer Support Centre open seven days a week, from noon to 2 a.m., but this raised a question of volunteer safety, as Walkhome usually closes at 2 a.m.

“Within our platform, we express that we want to keep it open 12 hours a day,” GPP vice-presidential candidate of university affairs candidate T.K.

Pritchard said. “We often do provide taxi chits for [volunteers] to arrive safely at home.”

Team RMS agreed with the idea, and said the benefits of increasing Continued from page 1 Stainton said building new clientele hours far outweigh the challenges. is always a priority.

“A lot of resources aren’t as a bartender.

“We’ve had years where you’ll available at those times, having that “Honestly it was just a kind of lose a whole lot of regulars who resource available here at Queen’s strange twist of fate that right as graduate and all of a sudden you’ve will be beneficial,” McCarthy said. that place was closing up there was got to start building new clientele an ad in the paper that said ‘Bar for again,” he said. “That’s the nature sale,’ ” he said. of being in a student town.”

MyBar was first envisioned MyBar currently has FoR QuiZZES BY Vp as a wood-paneled bar with 20 employees. opERAtionS And Vp cheap pitchers.

“The staff have been really “Basically it was supposed to be understanding that it’s a change uniVERSitY AFFAiRS just a comfortable place to hang of times and not a decision I made cAndidAtES out, have a pitcher of beer and lightly but it’s something where watch the game,” he said. “We’ve unfortunately when any business see queensjournal.ca kind of evolved over the years closes, people are kind of sent off into a nightclub with DJs, and a to find other things.” dance floor.”

Stainton co-owns the Alibi at With annual customer turnover, 293 Princess St.

Sales plateau

Corporate sponsors plentiful

The Endeavour Silver Corporation will offer scholarships to undergraduates in geological sciences and geological engineering over the next five years.

Continued from page 1

scholarships, while 15 per cent will go toward the undergraduate and graduate scholarships for the first five years.

“There is a shortage of people in the mining industry, and [the scholarship] is one way of encouraging people to pursue that industry,” said Godfrey Walton, president of Endeavour Silver.

“The idea is that the scholarship will continue well beyond our lifetimes.”

Selection is based on academic excellence and interest in geological engineering, economic geology and mineral exploration.

Walton, MSc ’78, said the idea is to create self-sustaining scholarship programs for Queen’s.

While pursuing a graduate degree in geology, Walton became a TA for a third-year geological studies class. Bradford Cook, BSc ’76, chairman and CEO of Endeavour Silver, was one of his students.

“Queen’s is an importance place for us,” he said. “Because of that initial work we did together at Queen’s we became partners and have worked together for the past 18 years.”

Despite the donation, Walton said the company isn’t involved with the selection process or how the scholarship is distributed.

Due to its close associations to the company, the University of British Columbia will also receive a donation from Endeavour Silver Corporation of $500,000 over five years. It will be open to students pursuing degrees in both Earth sciences and ocean sciences.

This is the first time Endeavour Silver has donated funds to create a scholarship program for university students.

“We’re glad to be able to help the next generation of Earth scientists, geologists and engineers,” Walton said, “especially at Queen’s.”

Fifteen per cent of the fund will also will go towards creating a Geology Teaching Assistant Fund.

Photo by Corey LabLans

The fund will provide TAs a yearly allowance to help provide for their living expenses.

Queen’s geological sciences professor Robert Dalrymple said the TA program within geological sciences and geological engineering is unique.

“We basically have these competitive TA positions that go to our best TAs,” Dalrymple said.

Dalrymple said that every $2,500 received can fund a TA in a course.

There are just under 100 TAs in the two programs he said. Almost half of these are paid through funds like the Geology Teaching Assistant Fund.

“We would have basically half the number of TAs that we have … if our corporate sponsors or alumni weren’t providing the funding,” he said. “I don’t know anyone else in the world that’s doing this.”

— With files from Katherine Fernandez-Blance

8 •queensjournal.ca About The Journal

Editorial Board Editors in Chief

Clare Clancy Jake Edmiston

Production Manager

Labiba Haque

News Editor

Katherine Fernandez-Blance

Assistant News Editors

Catherine Owsik Savoula Stylianou Meaghan Wray

Features Editor

Terra-Ann Arnone

Assistant Features Editor

Janina Enrile

Editorials Editor

Andrew Stokes

Editorial Illustrator

Janghan Hong

Dialogue Editor Arts Editor

Brendan Monahan Alyssa Ashton

Assistant Arts Editor

Caitlin Choi

Sports Editor

Gilbert Coyle

Assistant Sports Editor

Benjamin Deans

Postscript Editor

Jessica Fishbein

Photography Editor

Corey Lablans

Assistant Photo Editors Copy Editors

Justin Chin Asad Chishti Jessica Munshaw Terence Wong

Blogs Editor

Kelly Loeper

Assistant Blogs Editor

Carolyn Flanagan

Staff Writers Vincent Matak Peter Morrow Jordan Ray Alison Shouldice Anand Srivastava

Contributors Christopher Tooley Jillian Wood

Business Staff

Business Manager Daniel Weinshenker

Sales Representatives

James Bolt Kyle Cogger Katherine Pearce

Friday, January 27, 2012 • Issue 28 • Volume 139 The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.

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

Contents © 2012 by the Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the Journal. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Subscriptions are available for $120.00 per year (plus applicable taxes).

Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief.

Please direct editorial, advertising and circulation enquiries to: 190 University Avenue, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3P4 Telephone : 613-533-2800 (editorial) 613-533-6711 (advertising) Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca The Journal Online: www.queensjournal.ca Circulation 6,000 Issue 29 of Volume 139 will be published on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

Editorials The Journal’s Perspective

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Friday, January 27, 2012

There’s a vacant lot and a chain-link fence ... and the PEC is vacant. We deserve a comprehensive explanation.

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Queen’s Centre

Administration owes explanation S

ince 2005, Queen’s students have paid a mandatory annual student fee of $70 to pay for the construction of the Queen’s Centre Phases 1, 2 and 3.

Construction on Phases 2 and 3 has been stalled since the 2009 opening of the ARC. On Jan. 19, AMS Assembly passed a motion in reaction to the uncompleted phases.

Initially, the AMS had promised a capital contribution of $25.5 million from the student body but now will contribute only $10.6 million to Phase 1 alone.

The AMS decision to cancel the mandatory student fee saves each student from funneling $141 per year into a non-existent project.

It’s the administration’s turn to be vocal.

Cancelling further construction was a wise decision considering the University’s current financial troubles. Admin is obligated to be transparent with the student body that helped finance the project.

Queen’s hasn’t released a formal a public statement regarding the future of Phases 2 and 3 since claiming they were postponed indefinitely in 2009. A lot of questions have arisen in two years surrounding the Union Street wasteland that was once destined to become a field house and

an arena.

They owe it to their investors and students to outline a plan — or at least be honest if there isn’t one.

Walking around campus, it’s obvious that construction was brought to a halt. There’s a vacant lot and a chain-link fence at Union and Division Streets, and the PEC is vacant.

We deserve a comprehensive explanation detailing why Phases 2 and 3 aren’t financially viable. It’s still unclear how Phase 1 of the Queen’s Centre construction came

in $41 million over budget. whether through parameters The promise of of internal accountability, or newly-constructed facilities was through the hiring of an external used as a lure for prospective management firm to oversee students, but now amounts to construction. false advertising.

Administration needs to have If the project was mismanaged, the decency to tell Queen’s students there needs to be horizontal what went wrong. Principal Daniel accountability for whoever made Woolf needs to make a State of the the errors. With a constantly Union address that tells us clearly changing student cohort, about the financial health of the administration isn’t accountable University and where we stand on to a permanent population that a number of projects. remebers seven-year-old promises.

An honest and transparent Changes need to be made, explanation is all we need.

Public Policy

Would-be homeless policy problematic A

paper commissioned by the University of Calgary suggests that paying people who own or rent property would combat homelessness.

The proposal, authored by Columbia University economist and professor Brendan O’Flaherty, is rife with flaws and would do little to alleviate the underlying causes of homelessness.

The paper, released on Monday, uses Calgary, Alta. for its case study. O’Flaherty argues that the Albertan government should levy a land-value tax on property owners, and use the proceeds to pay every individual for every day they’re in housing.

Meant to “reward good behaviour,” the policy aims to usher the homeless out of shelters and into apartments in order to collect their dividends.

The proposal has a simplified understanding of what it means to be homeless. Despite explicitly stating that many homeless people have “severe physical, psychological and occupational problems,” O’Flaherty’s entire premise is founded on the idea that with a monetary incentive, a vast cohort of homeless people will suddenly decide to move into apartments.

Securing funds to pay for first and last month’s rent comes first. Paying homeless people for living in a home doesn’t secure stable employment to ensure permanent housing.

O’Flaherty’s proposal also

misses a step in its economic rationale. He claims that with fewer homeless people on the street, property values would rise and property owners would profit as a result of the tax they’ve been made to pay.

This neglects the next step though, wherein higher property values lead to higher rent prices,

neighborhoods are gentrified and housing becomes more difficult to afford.

Even more problems arise with O’Flaherty’s criteria for eligibility, he suggests separating on the basis of gender.

Because men are more likely to become homeless, O’Flaherty suggests restricting the program to

males as a means of simplification.

It’s a suggestion that’s totally irrational and amounts to sexual discrimination.

The proposal to reduce homelessness is an all around flop. Without considering the root causes of homelessness, O’Flaherty prescribes a solution that won’t work.

Obama-mania runs out that actions speak louder than words, with many claiming his approach was too soft during the congressional deadlock in August amidst rising U.S. debt.

He’s also been slammed by Brendan Monahan Republicans on his policy on Iran.

“If we re-elect Barack Obama, onight, I want to speak about how we move Iran will have a nuclear weapon,” forward and build a blueprint for said Mitt Romney, candidate an economy that’s built to last,” for the Republican presidential said U.S. President Barack Obama nomination. He was speaking at during Tuesday’s State of the Union a foreign policy debate in South Carolina on Nov. 12.

Address to members of Congress.

It’s the latest from a The reality is that the current president who has too-often administration must put results favoured lofty rhetoric over over rhetoric in order to win this substantive policy goals. year’s presidential election. In The economy was one of recent months, there have been many topics addressed by Obama, several positive signs.

In May, U.S. Navy SEALs who’s seen his approval ratings plummet from 82 per cent in shot and killed Osama Jan. 2009 to a record low of 38 Bin Laden. The operation marked per cent, according to an Oct. 17 a huge win for the Obama Gallup poll. administration and left a gaping After winning a landmark hole in the leadership of al-Qaeda. presidential election in 2008, On Oct. 21, Obama announced Obama has learned the hard way that all U.S. troops would leave

“T

Iraq by the end of 2011, bringing the eight-year U.S. mission in Iraq to an end.

Americans need a president who can make bold economic and foreign policy decisions in the face of a shrinking middle class and a perception by other countries that the U.S. too-often meddles in world affairs.

Obama’s hopes of re-election are also bolstered by a Republican nomination race that has failed to produce a sure-thing opponent, with next Tuesday’s Florida primary turning into a two-man race between Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

But if Obama does win this November, it shouldn’t be because of a weak field of Republican contenders.

Obama has a chance to build on the momentum of his most recent policy successes. The upcoming year marks a critical time not only in his presidency, but in American history — it’s Obama’s race to lose.

Friday, january 27, 2012

DIALOGUE

Perspectives from the Queen’s community

queensjournal.ca

““

The media, telling us the family acted upon archaic social traditions, has convinced an already-biased public of their guilt.

”

Canadian Law

A law student’s take on the Shafia trial As the three-month-long murder trial moves into its final phase, we must allow the facts to stand for themselves amidst a mountain of public bias

Talking heads ... at the ILC Photos By Brendan Monahan

What do you think about the decision to discontinue Engineering dual degrees next year?

“For some students, the dual degree was a driving factor in deciding to come to Queen’s.”

C hristopher Tooley, JD ’13 In June 2009, four deceased members of the Shafia family were found in their submerged car at the Kingston Mills Locks. At first, it appeared be a horrible accident.

Soon, a different picture began to emerge. Prosecutors allege Mohammad Shafia, his second wife and son planned the murders of Mohammad’s three daughters and first wife, Rona.

“God’s curse on them … may the devil shit on their graves,” said Shafia in a police-recorded conversation with his second wife, Tooba, and son, Hamed in the days following the deaths.

It’s a recording that’s part of an investigation now widely regarded as one of the highest-profile honour-killing trials in Canadian history.

If you share my sentiment, the words spoken by Mohammad Shafia fill you with a profound sense of revulsion.

But on Monday, defence lawyer Peter Kemp portrayed his client as a father who sought nothing but the best for his daughters and first wife, moving them from country to country to provide them with the perfect lives he felt they deserved.

The National Post quoted Kemp telling jurors, “You would have to accept that the father of seven children … became so black, so dark, so evil, that he would cold bloodedly plan the execution of three of them and carry out that plan.”

The knee-jerk reaction to Kemp’s comments might be one of dismay, followed by condemnation.

How could he make such a claim in the face of mounting circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution?

I’ve had countless conversations with people who echo these sentiments. How can lawyers reconcile their morality when tasked with defending clients widely believed to be guilty?

Unfortunately, this line of thinking is based on several inaccurate presumptions.

First, it’s unfair to tie a lawyer’s duty to the core of their personhood and not allow for any distancing between themselves and their jobs. Lawyers can live with themselves outside of court, just

•9

Zackery Wilfong, Sci ’15

Kingston’s Frontenac County courthouse, adjacent to Queen’s campus, has housed the Shafia trial since proceedings began on Oct. 20.

as police officers who deal with criminals can.

Second, the duty of a defence lawyer is at the core of our legal system. To suppose that lawyers shouldn’t be able to live with themselves upon successfully doing their job is to argue that no one should be doing that job — an unacceptable solution in any justice system that aims to be fair.

The courtroom was at maximum capacity.

People are there for a show.

Third, it’s integral to the healthy functioning of our society that we continue to emphasize the presumption of innocence. Defence lawyers fight to ensure their clients receive a fair trial.

When I visited Kingston’s Frontenac County courthouse earlier this month, the first thing I noticed was that the courtroom was at maximum capacity. People are there for a show.

On the left are the brand new, specially installed glass booths that house the interpreters responsible for translating every question asked by the lawyers.

The trials are conducted in four languages: English, French, Dari and Spanish.

On the right are the twelve jurors who aren’t particularly representative of Canadian society.

They’re predominantly white, old and recruited from a relatively small town.

Needless to say, the Shafia family isn’t being judged by a jury of their peers, given what you would expect from a multicultural society

such as ours.

Despite the fact that the jurors were selected after the judge scrutinized 253 people, the potential for bias shouldn’t be lost on anyone.

It’s only later that you notice the accused, seated in the forefront, almost as if on display for the multitude of spectators.

On the day I was present, Tooba was being cross-examined.

The striking part about it all might be just how fragile or delicate she appeared to be. If you’re anything like me, you’d have to pinch yourself to remember this is an accused murderer before you.

When court adjourns, the public streams out of the room and begins to gossip — the general consensus being that the accused are guilty as sin.

Mohammad and his family require representation by a legal team dedicated to ensuring they receive a fair trial in the face of extensive resources assembled by the government to prosecute them.

The media, telling us the family acted upon archaic social traditions, has convinced an already-biased public of their guilt.

But if we question the importance of a rigorous legal defence team, we are failing to understand how our justice system works.

In 1992, Canadian Guy Paul Morin was convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Christine Jessop. It wasn’t until 1995 — almost 10 years after he was first arrested — that improvements in DNA testing ruled him out as the killer.

Photo By Justin Chin

Steven Truscott was sentenced to death in 1959 for the murder of his classmate, Lynne Harper.

Truscott was convicted on entirely circumstantial evidence.

In 2007, after review of nearly 250 fresh pieces of evidence, Truscott’s conviction was declared a miscarriage of justice and he was acquitted.

In both of these cases — and others — the justice system failed the accused.

The public has already put Mohammad Shafia and his family on trial and believes they’re guilty.

And, after careful deliberation, the jury may agree — but regardless of the verdict, we can’t afford to condemn the lawyers who defend them.

It’s integral to the healthy funcioning of our society that we continue to emphasize the presumption of innocence.

It’s important for the accused to have their case judged based on facts and merits, rather than by people’s aversion to the crime itself and scapegoating the person on trial.

Ultimately, the facts will speak for themselves. If you’re anything like me, you’re hoping that the people who committed these murders will spend a very long time in jail.

If the accused are found guilty in this case, defence lawyers won’t have played a role in inhibiting justice. In fact, they’ll have helped facilitate it.

HAVE AN OPINION?

Submit a letter to journal_letters@ams.queensu.ca

“If students think they can handle the extra workload, they should be allowed to pursue a dual degree.”

Selma Akel, Sci ’15

“Employers might prefer to hire students with a single-degree focus.”

Harman Khosa, Sci ’15

“My brother’s dual degree from Queen’s allowed him to pursue a career on Bay Street.”

Steve Ballard, Sci ’12

“It gave students a chance to specialize in more than one area.”

Kate Finkler-Kemeny, Sci ’13

Beginning September 2012, Queen’s will no longer offer ArtSci dual degrees for students enrolled in Nursing, Applied Science and Commerce.

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 27, 2012

AMS winter referendum statements The Journal provides this free space for parties on the ballot. All statements are unedited.

NEW FEE statements Queen’s University and Student Help: Students Helping Students organization

and the greater Queen’s public.

Ultimately, the QCP aims to raise cultural awareness within the Queen’s community.

TheQueen’sChinesePresspublishes “Queen’s University Information monthly during the school year. and Student Help(QUISH) is Current editions are found online seeking a 0.20$ opt-outable student @ www.queenschinesepress.com, fee on the Winter referendum. It and print editions are contingent is the intention of the QUISH upon funding. Further, the QCP executive team to use this money plans to initiate a bilingual online for a variety of initiatives that will forum that will be a thriving benefit the student population marketplace, a symposium of ideas, as a whole. Our primary goal is and a friendly meeting place for to provide a non-biased, non- everyone. With renewed support, judgemental information, on the we will accomplish the above and life at Queen’s University and the many other projects to better serve greater Kingston community, all the Queen’s community. from a student perspective and from first-hand student experience.

The Queen’s Student We hope to use the funds from the Auxiliary Branch (QSAB) of Kingston opt-outable fee to support several planned initiatives, including, but General Hospital not limited to, an online series The Queen’s Student Auxiliary of videos providing advice on Branch (QSAB) of Kingston General housing, booths at Orientation Hospital would like to obtain 50 Week Events, supporting and cents from each Student Optimproving a website designed for Out Fee to assist with fundraising the purpose of easy communication initiatives for the purchase of of information and questions, hospital equipment and patient printing “Welcome Booklets” to be comfort items. Fees also support distributed to incoming first years healthcare education workshops with answers to some common and recognition activities for KGH student questions, and forming a student volunteers. group of volunteer upper-years for the purpose of assisting on Ultraviolet Magazine Move-In Day, as was done this Ultraviolet Magazine is a sixteen-year-old on-campus September past.” publication showcasing student art, Queen’s Peer Mentor photography, poetry, prose and Program music. Every year the magazine The program currently serves receives submissions from the students referred by Disability talented students at Queen’s Services and Counselling Staff at University, and selects unique HCDS (as well as self referrals) pieces for publication. Additionally, – the funding has been provided the UV Editorial Board organizes from these services for the past 17 fundraisers and events that promote years. However, due to a large student art on campus, such as increase in the number of students hosting coffee houses and themed with disabilities coming to Queen’s, bake sales. Last year, Ultraviolet and no increase in provincial lost its funding and applied for funding, all disability funds are referendum, but unfortunately did required to pay for advising and not receive enough votes to get providing of accommodations. The back on the opt-out fee list. After a overall budget has been reduced year of fundraising efforts and using by $20,000 and as a result, the the leftover money from previous program will be forced to operate years, we were just barely able to with half the number of volunteers, print our publication. Although thus reducing the number of this year’s Editorial Board has been students who will benefit from working hard to raise funds, we will mentoring in the 2012 -13 year. not be able to produce a printed This is a unique program as it serves copy of the magazine this winter. students in any program, with a That is why we have been working variety of challenges (including our hardest this past semester to frequently mental health issues get Ultraviolet’s name and mission such as depression and anxiety) statement out to Queen’s students, and provides weekly, one on one so that when they see us on the coaching in university survival ballad this year, they will not only skills as well as program specific know who we are, but will seek to academic skills. It benefits both support our cause. Our question the mentor and mentee and allows for the ballot asks students to opportunities for those served to support the magazine with a .75 cent opt out fee so that Ultraviolet become volunteers themselves. will be able to continue printing Queen’s Chinese Press physical copies of the magazine The Queen’s Chinese Press for the enjoyment of Queen’s staff (QCP) is Queen’s only bilingual and students. As well, by having publication, publishing in both the financial support from the English and Chinese. Formerly opt-out fees, the magazine will be the Empress, established in 1994, able to continue publishing even the QCP serves the Queen’s after its current Editorial Board community by being a platform has graduated. The continuation for diverse voices that otherwise of Ultraviolet Magazine means the would not have been heard. continued promotion and support We provide the latest news and of student art on campus, and it perspectives from Asia, foster would be a loss to the creative communication between the community at Queen’s to have it different student groups, and host go. the ongoing dialogue between the Chinese-speaking population

Triennial Review statements Queen’s Medical Review

Queen’s Medical Review (QMR) has a long history under various “names. Its most recent rebirth was in 2007. Queen’s Medical Review has become a student-run community newsletter, publishing news about current medical events, global health, and student initiatives in medically-related projects. Queen’s Medical Review also provides a forum, open to any Queen’s student, for constructive debate on current issues in health care. Currently, QMR is expanding its scope to include a variety of creative works, such as poems, stories, and visual art.

QUEEN’S STUDENT HEALTH EVENING CLINICS We continue to run evening clinics Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the September-April period.

These clinics are not available during slower periods such as the end of each term and reading week, in February. Students are seen between the hours of 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm on these evenings. During these clinics we see students with booked appointments for any type of primary care problem we would usually manage in this settingWe currently have two doctors seeing patients during our Tuesday evening clinic and one doctor on Thursday evenings. The clinics have been well received by students and are always filled to capacity. It is our belief that this improves access for students’ whose programs make daytime bookings more difficult, thus encouraging students to seek the care they need in a timely fashion.

The funds received from the AMS to support the operation of these clinics, is used to pay for nonphysician staffing which is needed to operate a clinic. We have an administrative staff member and a registered nurse present during all of our clinics. Administrative staff members are required to check patients in and to provide charts and any other documentation needed during patient visits.

Providing nursing coverage allows for enhanced patient flow and for such things as immunization and blood work to be done during the clinics. There are medical and office supplies used during all operations though these represent a small proportion of costs associated with the expansion of hours, they must be included in any accounting done. There are also costs regarding such things as utilities generated with expansion of our hours. Generally speaking, the monies provided by students, via the AMS, offset some of the costs of staffing, provisions and other operational costs associated with running the evening clinics, currently offered.

DAWN HOUSE

The Dawn House Women’s Shelter opened its doors in 1986, with the vision that all women and their children live in a safe, affordable and accessible housing. With this in mind, the shelter is open 24 hours a day 365 days a year as a temporary and safe place where

women and their children can face crisis scenarios based in real life access counselling, community and respond from the position of a politician or military advisor. The support and advocacy.

We are a community based shelter, realism and accuracy of the crisis dedicated to assisting in the is enhanced by our partnership eradicating of homelessness in our with the Department of National community and treating women Defence of Canada. QIAA also hosts and their children with empathy, an annual Global Passport Fair that presents international internship dignity and without judgement.

The co-operation and collaboration opportunities to Queen’s students, with other organizations and inviting representatives from a community groups is essential to variety of internship programs to our work. With the limited funding attend. The Queen’s Model UN we are able to access each year, it Team provides weekly training to has become increasingly difficult to all students interested in debate and maintain basic needs such as food, Model UN, allowing insight into adequate staffing and maintenance the values and shortcomings of the United Nations as an international costs the shelter incurs each year.

Our occupancy level each month governing body. is usually at capacity and with only HIV/AIDS Regional ten beds available we are feeling the effects of the homeless issue in Services (HARS) our community when we have to turn women away when we have HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS) is a non-profitable, no rooms available.

The maintenance needs and charitable organization that demand on the shelter itself has provided services to various have taken their toll. The Dawn communities within and around the House is an old house on quiet Kingston area for over 20 years. We downtown Victoria Street that was provide a number of confidential transitioned into a shelter. Chosen services for individuals: supportive for its “home like” feeling to make counseling, information, referrals, the women and their children feel support groups, volunteer support, more comfortable during their stay practical assistance, advocacy, as and not feel like they are in sterile well as an education, regional or unwelcoming environment, and prison program, needle and the wear and tear of its daily use condom distribution, satellite and years of limited funding to offices and a comprehensive resource centre. renovate have become evident.

With the generous donations we The Queen’s student body is one of receive from organizations such as the communities served and HARS yours we hope to make this year, a has maintained collaborative, year of positive and much needed effective working relationships with changes to the structure itself inside several campus groups over the years: Queen’s Medical Outreach, and out.

LGBTA, AIDS Awareness Committees, Queen’s Legal Aid The Queen’s International Affairs Services, Queen’s Sidewalk Sale, Association (QIAA) Sexual Health Resource Centre, The Queen’s International Affairs the International Centre, Don’s Association (QIAA) is a not for Resource Fair, Women’s Studies, profit student-run organization Black History Month Kingston, at Queen’s. QIAA is devoted to Queen’s Human Rights Office. promoting the discussion and Queen’s and HARS have mutually from numerous dialogue on international affairs benefited and to providing its members student volunteers and placement with practical outlets to realize opportunities. Staff have assisted their interests in this field. QIAA students doing HIV/AIDS research is a premier resource for those and course work. Over the last interested in global issues and aims 3 years, the bulk of student fees to involve students from all faculties has contributed to the continuation at Queen’s under the conception of education, prevention and that every Queen’s student is also a volunteer programs at HIV/AIDS Regional Services. Health Canada global citizen.

QIAA’s Speaker’s Series brings only partially funds our education relevant and engaging speakers program, while the balance is to Queen’s campus. In the past, funded through fundraising, the we have hosted Don Newman, provincial Ministry of Health and Peter Milliken, John Ibbitson, and student fees.

Romeo Dallaire. QIAA’s magazine, Students benefit not only from the Queen’s International Observer accessing comprehensive individual (QIO), provides a space for written support services related to HIV/ dialogue between students and AIDS and Hep C, but also from professors on relevant issues. quality HIV/AIDS education and Writing for the magazine encourages prevention programs delivered students to write journalistically as through various campus venues well as academically, and is a great throughout the academic year and way for students to get published. on-site. We want to continue our Our fall conference, the Queen’s partnership with Queen’s and Foreign Policy Conference offers urge you to give the HARS fee delegates the opportunity to referendum question a resounding engage directly with key players “YES”! in media and government who are able to provide us with insight The Ban Righ Centre into the changing approaches to There is a place on campus that Foreign Policy in the Information you may not have noticed that Age. QIAA’s winter conference, the helps mature and re-entry women Queen’s Interactive Crisis students overcome the particular Simulation (QICSim) provides challenges they face having delayed students with the opportunity to their education. It is the little brown

Friday, january 27, 2012

house between Stirling and Jeffrey Halls and it is called the Ban Righ Centre.

The Ban Righ Centre uses the student interest fee funds to provide emergency assistance to students in need. The Ban Righ Centre is asking for your support to help us provide financial assistance to students in need.

“Do you agree to the continuation of the Ban Righ Centre Mature Student Bursary fee of $1.00 (mandatory) for the next three years? This fee was originally established in 1992 and last went to referendum in 2009.”

Please vote “yes” to help the Ban Righ Centre help students in need.

exhibiting short documentaries proving their designs, hundreds of on gender and sexual diversity universities participate in several and then engaging with students international competitions that through dialogue about the issues form the Formula SAE event. Here, that arise. These issues include students are put to the test, validating anti-oppression, bullying, respect, design decisions, justifying vehicle and support. cost and team business plans, and, Our annual operations of these most importantly, asked to prove projects are helped enormously theoretical vehicle performance on through the generosity of Queen’s the race track.

University undergraduate student Our team represents Queen’s fees. These fees enable Reelout to on the international stage and keep our office and lending library demonstrates our capabilities as of over 400 DVDs and books open a university. Producing most of year-round to the community at the vehicle in-house, the vehicle 336A Barrie Street. The $1.50 demonstrates the university’s per student opt-out fee for Reelout extensive machine shop and allows us to offset the costs manufacturing abilities. However, associated with maintaining our not only demonstrating engineering, Lending Library and central office Queen’s Formula SAE represents on 336A Barrie Street. These costs all faculties, showcasing in design, The Canadian Unified include our rent, our electricity, cost and business presentations.

Student our Internet, and our telephone. Working hard with the university Environmental This space is used by students and and assisting in Kingston, the team residents alike; by individuals and also serves to help inspire the next Network (CUSEN) other community-serving agencies. generation of students, both at The Canadian Unified Student It is a positive space for LGBT Queen’s and in the community.

Environmental Network queer identified persons and their Responsible for raising all funds (CUSEN) is a student-funded allies to obtain further information required for the project, the environmental advocacy group, on gender and sexual diversity team pursues sponsorship at the and has been active at Queen’s education. We thank all Queen’s corporate level, but also depends for more than twenty years. The undergraduate students past and on the continued support at the mandate of CUSEN is to promote present for their continued support student level. With this in mind, education and action on various of our efforts. we ask you for your assistance environmental issues. Campaigns in supporting our initiative by launched by CUSEN have involved Sexual Assault renewing our opt-outable fee. research and organization in the Recently, the team has risen to the Centre Kingston form of petitions, lobbying, posters, For over thirty years, the Sexual title of Canadian champions, and is presentations, speakers, workshops, Assault Centre Kingston has been hoping to regain this position in the resource gathering, networking providing support to survivors of future. With recent expansions and and other events. Cooperatively sexual violence in our community. new competitions, we rely partly on with OPIRG Kingston, CUSEN This support is offered through student fees to remain competitive funds and operates the Alternative the 24 hour crisis and support line, in the Formula SAE competition, Resource Library. The ARL is a first response program, individual and make this opportunity more collection of hard-to-find material long term counselling, group available to students at Queen’s. on a wide range of alternative counselling, and accompaniments The AMS Food Centre topics. The library contains to hospitals, police stations or thousands of books, magazine through the court system. As well Located in MacGillvary-Brown subscriptions, resource files, as providing direct support, the Hall at the corner of Barrie and Earl, videos and more. CUSEN puts on centre also strives to end sexual the AMS and SGPS Food Centre speakers, events and workshops violence through advocacy and is a confidential, non-judgmental service that provides nutritious food at Queen’s that deal with a variety community education. of environmental issues. Some of Over the past year the centre items and other basic necessities these issues include deforestation, has worked with the community to Queen’s students. The centre air and water pollution, global of Queens University in various also acts a resource for information warming, and toxic and municipal capacities including providing about getting financial assistance, waste. Historically, CUSEN has counselling to students and staff social services available in Kingston, lobbied for endangered species who experienced sexual violence, health and nutrition. The Food legislation, an environmental action training resident advisors and peer Centre provides a reliable service guide and improvements to Lands counsellors, speaking in several to ensure that Queen’s students For Life (the Ontario government’s classes on the issues of sexual can be healthy and productive as plan for our forests). More recently, violence, providing meaningful they pursue academic achievement.

CUSEN has organized workshops volunteer opportunities to students As an organization, we believe on topics such as permaculture as well as providing research and that food distribution programs and food security, raised awareness resource materials for various are band-aid solutions and so we seek to address the root causes of around environmental issues such academic departments. as oil sands extraction in Canada, Our centre is committed to student poverty through education and hosted campus organizing responding to the cultural, and advocacy. workshops with speakers from the economic, linguistic and diverse The majority of our funding Rainforest Action Network. backgrounds of those living in our comes from op-outable students fees from the AMS and SGPS as Funding through the AMS communities. $1.00 opt-outable student levy is Since 1990, the students of Queens well as donations and grants. We essential for CUSEN to continue University have supported the use the funds to purchase fresh to serve the Queen’s and Kingston Sexual Assault Centre of Kingston food for students and maintain communities. through a $1 student fee. This the centre itself. The Food Centre support makes it possible for is always accepting donations and survivors of sexual violence to new volunteers. All students are The Reelout Arts Project Inc. begin their healing journey by welcome to stop by and pick up The Reelout Arts Project Inc. is accessing our free and confidential some healthy groceries, volunteer a registered charity and not-for- services. For more information with the centre or both. We are profit agency in Kingston, Ontario about us, please visit our website at open Monday, Thursday and Saturday from 4:30-5:30. that raises education and awareness www.sackingston.com on gender and sexual diversity. Thank you for your continued Queen’s Health The annual Reelout Queer Film support! + Video Festival is our primary and Human Rights project. The festival is an eleven- The Queen’s Formula Conference SAE Team day showcase of over 80 films and videos from around the world that With a long history on campus, Founded in 2000, the conference are made by and/or made for a gay, the Queen’s Formula SAE Team is a student-led initiative with a lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two- represents a dedicated and growing mandate to build bridges between spirit, questioning, queer audience multidiscipline design team. As the humanities, sciences and and their allies. In addition to a completely extra-curricular social sciences. We provide a the festival, Reelout holds monthly initiative, the team takes learning forum for academics, practitioners screenings in various venues in and outside the classroom through the and students to address global around Kingston. Our Reelout in medium of designing and building challenges at the intersection of Schools program allows us to liaise a race car and running an entire healthcare and human rights. We with high school students within the race team. With the ultimate goal are committed to being an interLimestone District School Board, of showcasing their vehicles and disciplinary conference, uniting

queensjournal.ca

speakers from various academic disciplines and professions, and inviting discourse on both local and global issues within the realm of health and human rights. In 2010, the conference was awarded the Queen’s Human Rights Initiative Award for our outstanding contribution to the advancement of equality and human rights in the Queen’s community.

This conference enables Queen’s students to develop a strong theoretical foundation and practical tools for influencing global health and development, supplementing their traditional classroom education. The conference fosters inter-professional connections among students, academics, and practitioners.

This year, we aimed to expose students to the human rights issues experienced by one of the world’s most vulnerable populations: women and children. We chose the theme ‘Maternal and Child Health’ and secured two keynote speakers: Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, who is the Executive Director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation and a former Program Officer to the United Nation’s Development Fund for Women; as well as Libby Davies, MP and Deputy Leader of the federal NDP. Our speakers addressed topics designed to enhance our understanding of the complex health and human rights issues that women and children experience in Canada and developing nations.

Thanks to funding from the AMS, the conference - organized by students from Medicine, Law, Occupational and Physical Therapy and Undergraduates - was an enormous success, and participants were able to attend for free. Eleven years in, the HHRC is eagerly anticipated by students, staff and the global health community. We hope that the AMS will continue its support.

Friday Friends

Friday Friends is an informal group mentorship program that seeks to facilitate the social and personal development of young intellectually disabled adults through interaction with students from the Queen’s community.

Volunteers and participants meet on Fridays from 7-9pm for a variety of social activities including movie nights, bowling, baking, crafts, board games and sports.

Our goal is to provide a positive social setting in which Queen’s students and intellectually disabled young adults can interact. The sole funding of Friday Friends is student activity fee funding which allows us to cover the cost of both Queen’s volunteer and Kingston community participant in most Friday Friends activities. This ranges from buying napkins for our potluck dinner, to renting a gym for a basketball night, to purchasing tickets to a Queen’s volleyball game. Friday Friends volunteers currently work with between twenty and thirty intellectually disabled young adults from the Kingston community and without proper funding, Friday Friends would be unable to host activities for these young adults.

The Campus Observation Room (C.O.R.) You know Queen’s needs COR when over 1,500 students have used our service since we opened our doors in 1990!

• 11

The Campus Observation Room, fondly referred to as the COR, is an integral part of the Queen’s University initiative to reduce the negative outcomes associated with excessive alcohol use. A team of 40 trained student volunteers work with professional detox staff from Hotel Dieu Hospital in COR - a non-medical alcohol detox facility located in the basement of Victoria Hall Residence.

COR has expanded its operations to include every Friday and Saturday night throughout the fall term, as well as a few select weekends during the winter semester. We are open from late evening until 7am the following morning. Anyone can bring in an intoxicated individual, or can call for assistance, as COR is open to all Queen’s students and guests.

Intoxicated students are assessed, given a bed, and monitored by professional Hotel Dieu Hospital Detox staff and trained student volunteers. COR is completely confidential; and all staff and volunteers take a non-judgmental approach, offering assistance and support without preaching about low risk drinking. Students who require more specialized care are sent to the KGH Emergency Department.

COR operating expenses are funded through a student interest fee with additional support from Queen’s Residences and Health, Counselling and Disability Services.

Student fees are used directly for the operation of COR: Detox staff salaries; volunteer training, support and appreciation; and promoting the use of the program to students.

This is where you come in! Vote yes to a safe, warm place to spend the night when you need us!

Queen’s Trivia Club

The Queen’s University Academic Quiz Team (Queen’s Trivia Club) prides itself on being Canada’s oldest competitive university quiz team — now in our twenty-third year. The Quiz Team participates each year in a series of tournaments similar to Jeopardy or Reach for the Top, wherein those with superior knowledge bring home the gold.

We defend Gael pride against such heavyweight teams as Ottawa A, Western, Waterloo, and Ottawa B. Last year we clinched second position at the National Academic Quiz Tournament in Ottawa.

Additionally, this year we are proud to be hosting the first annual Kingston High School Quizbowl Tournament. This tournament is designed with a view to introduce tomorrow’s Quizbowlers to university level competition. As we continue to look for outside funding, the Quiz Team depends upon the support of fellow Gaels to get us to tournaments literally, as transportation is fairly expensive. Once there, we pay tournament entrance fees, and fees for seedy hotel rooms largely out of pocket. Having covered this much ourselves, without your annual $0.15 of support (subject to individual opt-out), the Academic Quiz Team would not be able to continue to strive to be the very best, like no one ever was-- to the chagrin of several.

Centre for Teaching & Learning Established by a $750,000 endowment from the AMS, the Centre for Teaching and Learning Please see strives on page 12

12 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, January 27, 2012

equipment for the Adaptive others, and attempt to influence Technology Lab in Stauffer Library; government policy. A number providing ergonomic work stations of organizations in the Kingston strives to enhance the quality of for the exam centre in Mac-Corry; community were actually first instruction at Queen’s University. and by advocating for special exam conceived as OPIRG working including ReelOut Celebrating their 20th anniversary arrangements for students with groups, (Kingston’s only LGBTQ film this year, the centre runs programs, disabilities. workshops and conferences Previous years have seen AQ festival), Yellow Bike Action (a year long with the intention of purchase resource guides to local bike cooperative) and Loving improving teaching among help students with disabilities Spoonful (a community food Professors, Teaching Assistants and access resources in the Kingston organization). OPIRG Kingston community and subsidize the cost continues to work in solidarity with Assistant Fellows.

Once a year the Centre for of sign language course to make these and many other community Teaching and Learning holds their them more affordable for the organizations, in addition to taking “Teaching Development day for average student. In 2005-06, AQ an active role in local coalitions Students,” a conference free of established a $100,000 endowment and joint projects. charge for Teaching Assistants and fund to provide students with includes various members of the disabilities bursary money to cover This academic year, the opt-outable Queen’s community. It is a one expenses endured because of their $4 student levy has supported day opportunity where TA’s can disability (e.g. adaptive technologies, OPIRG’s alternative frosh week get together to focus and improve transportation subsidies etc.). AQ events, the upcoming PUSH IT: continues to serve as the main peer Hip-Hop Festival, joint projects teaching practices at Queen’s.

The continuation of this $2.00 opt- support network for students with with CFRC and the Levana Gender outable fee would go towards this disabilities and provides a voice Advocacy Centre, provided critical conference as well as other year for ALL students concerned with funding for volunteer working groups, and numerous workshop long workshops and consultations disability issues. the Centre for Teaching and The continuation of this fee and educational opportunities remains central to the functionality open to all students at no cost.

Learning provides in their office.

As students, we all understand the of AQ’s diverse projects and OPIRG Kingston welcomes value of a good teacher. This small programs, and will work to ensure everyone to learn more about social fee will help support the continued that all students are able to access and environmental justice in the efforts of the Centre for Teaching the resources Queen’s University Queen’s University and Kingston communities. You can check us out and Learning in improving has to offer. at www.opirgkingston.org or visit instruction and enhancing the us on campus at The Grey House!” learning environment for our own Ontario Public benefit.

Interest Research Please direct your questions to Syndicus Magazine Group Kingston the Academic Affairs Commission Topic: War (aacpolicy@ams.queensu.ca). “The Ontario Public Interest What is “war”? Cluasewitz defined Thank you for your support.

Research Group (OPIRG) it as “an expression of politics Kingston is celebrating 20 years by other means”; Thomas Mann ACCESSIBILITY QUEEN’S of commitment to research, defined it as the “cowardly escape Accessibility Queen’s (AQ) has education, and action in the public from the problems of peace”; and worked for nearly three decades to interest. We are a charitable, non- Plato once mused that only the improve accessibility on campus for profit environmental and social dead have ever seen its end. There students with disabilities. Funded justice organization established in have been wars on culture, wars entirely by a mandatory $3.00 1992 and incorporated in February on drugs, and wars on terrorism. It student activity fee paid by both of 1993. was both the mechanism by which AMS and SGPS members, AQ For 20 years, OPIRG has supported the Roman Empire conquered the implements new and continuing and contributed to community world, and the reality by which initiatives designed to improve engagement with environmental it found its end. Regardless of its physical, academic and social and social activism at Queen’s, in precise definition, it cannot be accessibility for Queen’s students Kingston and beyond. denied that war is a major feature across campus. Examples of past To this end, OPIRG organizes a wide of the historic human condition, capital projects initiated by AQ variety of events, including speaker for few other human activities have include the renovation of two series, film screenings, conferences, so drastically altered the shape of ground floor washrooms in Dupuis workshops, information tables, humanity’s collective history. Over Hall making them barrier free and and educational presentations. the last few millennia, the topic of wheelchair accessible; providing a Through such initiatives, we work war has been addressed by ancient lift to the stage in Grant Hall; the to broaden understanding, increase philosophers, famous academics, installation of four power door social awareness, and provide prime ministers, presidents, and openers around campus; providing conduits for action on those issues kings. What does “war” mean to an accessible entrance to the AMS that students have decided are you?

Food Centre; installing a wheelchair most important.

Would you like to be published? lift in Mac-Corry; making the Grey Volunteers are a fundamental Syndicus Magazine is now House accessible; fixing a ramp component OPIRG Kingston. accepting submissions! Syndicus is outside the JDUC; and funding Through our constituent working a interdisciplinary magazine which an accessible computer station groups, volunteers with an interest asks you, the writer, to take an in the JDUC near the elevator. in a particular issue or project one-word theme in any creative, AQ has also addressed academic come together to increase public academic direction you desire. accessibility by purchasing awareness, educate themselves and Write an article of approximately Continued from page 11

ENJOY THE JOURNAL DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR-STEP

1,000-1,500 words in length and submit them to johnstonro@ gmail.com with the subject title “Syndicus Submission” by February 3, 2012 (general inquiries can also be addressed here). We will be choosing 8-10 articles to publish and we encourage everyone submit.

Best of luck!

Bus-It

UNICEF Queen’s serve not only to raise more funds for UNICEF, but also to educate the Queen’s student body on UNICEF’s work and why it is important in ensuring equal opportunity for children around the world. Few Queen’s students have required the assistance of UNICEF, but many children around the world depend on UNICEF for the bare necessities of life and the chance at a brighter future.

Some of the major fundraising operations that UNICEF Queen’s runs include a pub night at a local night club, and semi-annual soccer tournaments.

This year we hope to host a charity walk/run to raise money for providing safe drinking water to developing countries. We are also in the midst of starting our high school outreach program which focuses on getting local high school students interested in UNICEF and its projects. The goals of this program are to fundraise for UNICEF and to help students become responsible global citizens.

Opt-outable fees allow us to donate all of our proceeds to UNICEF. It also enables us to host larger events that require a bigger investment, but have the capacity to raise more funds and awareness.

Furthermore, as part of a UNICEF mandate, we always make the effort to keep our operating budget below 10% of our proceeds.

Need to get downtown quick?

Want to visit the Cataraqui Town Centre to do some shopping? Plan on traveling out of town and need to get to the train station? Kingston Transit is the most affordable way to travel around to these places in Kingston and your Bus-It pass will help you get there for even cheaper! Not to mention, it’s so easy to use!

Established in 1973, the Bus-It program provides full-time students with unlimited access to Kingston Transit bus services for a full twelve months, from September to the following summer. Kingston Transit runs a variety of routes throughout the city that allows students to travel around and get to know the city with ease. The routes that run through campus are Route 2 , Route 6, Route E6, and Route 18, but they easily connect to several other routes that can take you anywhere in Kingston!

The Bus-It Program is funded by a mandatory student fee of $45.50 – compare this annual fee to the monthly cost of a bus pass ($68.25 for adults and $50.50 for youth QUEEN’S per month) or other universities 12 INTERNATIONAL month programs (ranging between STUDENTS BURSARY $142.63 and $290) and you’re saving a lot of money!

In 1993, Queen’s students initially In order to help maintain our voted to create the Queen’s student bus pass for such a low cost, International Students Bursary. please vote YES to maintaining this This bursary was established at mandatory bus fee. a time when the Government of for Bus-It Ontario implemented a number of programs to restrict and UNICEF Queen’s direct student financial assistance UNICEF Queen’s is a chapter to residents of Ontario. It has of UNICEF, the leading global been recognized by the student charitable organization for population that international children. UNICEF promotes child students may experience financial welfare, rights, and education, as challenges while studying at well as HIV/AIDS education and Queen’s University. The funding prevention. UNICEF Queen’s runs provided by this AMS student multiple events throughout the activity fee does contribute towards year to raise funds for UNICEF’s the overall financial assistance the initiatives. The majority of the University is able to direct towards funds received from opt-outable the support of international fees are directly donated to students who experience financial UNICEF. A portion is used to difficulty while studying at Queen’s fund our operations, including the University. running and marketing of events, booking facilities and providing the necessary materials for our events.

The events run by

ORDER YOURS TODAY! CALL (613) 533-6711

Friday, january 27, 2012

Interview

Sick raps

queensjournal.ca

Arts

Queen’s student Joseph Gabriel mixes hip hop with medicine B y C aitlin C hoi Assistant Arts Editor Joseph Gabriel knows about illnesses. He also knows about being ill.

“Scrip rocks folks ‘cause they need it/ when I jot notes on the pad don’t be mad if you can’t read it/ or compete or hover close to being half as ill/ ‘cause my lines open eyes like a double dose of modafinil,” he said, sampling some of his latest material.

“I used to be a sleep researcher. Modafinil is an anti-narcolepsy drug that literally opens your eyes.”

Queen’s rapper and medical student Joseph Gabriel first considered rapping under the name Dr. J, like the 1970s basketball player, but decided on Egyptian Prescription.

The Queen’s medical student, who rhymes under the moniker Egyptian Prescription, is an unlikely hip-hop artist. He came to our

interview after a lab where he was practicing how to suture.

The first-year medical student said his rap and doctoral careers

photo by justin chin

aren’t mutually exclusive.

“The nice thing about being a Canadian underground rapper is that it really, at this point, isn’t

• 13

eating up a whole lot of time,” Gabriel, ArtSci ’09 said. “I’m not really getting a lot of bookings or anything like that.”

Writing multi-syllabic rhymes is how he tries to “hit hard,” Gabriel said. Intertwined with urban slang, his use of medical lingo is contagious.

In true academic fashion, Gabriel admits that freestyling is not his strength. He practices while washing dishes at home, but hasn’t had much success.

“I’ve found every word that rhymes with ‘dish,’” he said. “But I’ll listen to it and like, that was really lame.

“I have mad respect for rappers that are good freestylers.”

The Cobourg native started rapping in Toronto in November 2009 at a monthly event called Hip Hop Karaoke.

“The difference is that in regular karaoke you go and it’s just people who are kind of bombed off their asses, just singing Celine Dion or something like that,” he said. “It taught me a lot about hip hop.”

Gabriel started rapping at Queen’s for friends and during past orientation weeks and continued on to perform at Medical Variety Night last semester. He’s opening for Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon See Prescribing on page 15

Textiles

Preserving history Caterina Florio shares her experience restoring the Queen’s Collection of Canadian Dress B y A lyssa A shton Arts Editor It’s part of Caterina Florio’s job to get 200-year-old stains out.

The textile conservationist worked to restore torn, stained and deteriorated artifacts in the care of Agnes Etherington Art Centre — a process which can never restore an object to its former glory.

“Everything has a life and at one point that ends,” Florio said. “My job is just to try to take it as long as possible knowing though that everything has, in a sense, an end.

It’s not to try to fix things, it’s try to make the life of an artifact the best that we can for as long as we can.”

Florio was the first recipient of the Isabel Bader Research Fellowship in Textile Conservation.

The fellowship allowed her to work with the Queen’s University Collection of Canadian Dress which is housed in a storage facility.

The collection has over 2,000 fashion items ranging from dresses, accessories, undergarments and children’s clothing from the 1800s to 1970s.

“What I love about that collection is it had a very strong legacy to the territory, it’s so connected to Kingston and the history of Kingston, which makes it such a particular and varied collection,” she said. “It’s not one of the biggest, but it has this quality to it that connects it to the territory in a poetic way.”

The collection was put together

by Margaret Angus, who came to Kingston in 1937 and helped create and collect costumes for theatrical productions in the Queen’s drama department.

Florio graduated from the University of Florence and the

Palazzo Spinelli Institute of Art and Conservation in Florence.

In January 2011 she began her three month fellowship at Queen’s focusing her studies on how modern aesthetic expectations influence the treatment done to artifacts in exhibits. She received $12,000 for her time plus $3,000 for travel and expenses. Currently Florio works in private practice at her studio in Toronto.

Accessories from the Queen’s collection can currently be seen in Agnes’s Adornment which pairs contemporary artwork with historical accessories from as early as the 19th century.

“It’s a very interesting curatorial choice,” Florio said. “It’s very rare to see such a contrast, it’s usually thematic, historical, chronological, those are the main guidelines for shows … You kind of see a path that goes through history.”

Florio and said textile conservation is much more involved than just removing stains.

“Most of the time the work is like actual conservation treatments, but every treatment involves a lot of research,” she said. “I research the creator or the owner of the artifact and try to collect as much information as I can because every little detail that I can gather of the history of the artifact helps me on the other aspect of research, which is deciding what to do and what is the best way to fix the problem.”

Florio’s last project was on a sword that had a leather belt with velvet embroidery that needed to be restored.

“Textiles are found in many, many different types of artifacts. It’s not just embroidery or costumes or fashion accessories,” she said.

Florio has her own studio where See Collection on page 17

Caterina Florio received $15,000 in total as the first recipient of the Isabel Bader Research Fellowship in Textile Conservation.

supplied by Agnes Etherington

Interview

‘Electronic rap hybrid’ Cadence Weapon may be a rapper, but he says his music is too complex to define B y Terra -A nn A rnone Features Editor Cadence Weapon doesn’t like to rhyme on the spot.

“I’m so into the written word, and I really like to visualize what I’m saying,” he said after I asked him to freestyle during our interview on Jan. 19.

“You gotta see what I do when I’m really thinking about it … That’s the really good stuff.”

Rollie Pemberton played under the stage name Payroll until 2005, when he renamed himself Cadence

Weapon and released his first studio rap album, Breaking Kayfabe, in 2005.

cadence is “myMyweapon. ”

— Cadence Weapon “It’s kind of like a mission statement,” he said. “I found myself repeating the same mantra after a while.

“My cadence is my weapon.”

Pemberton grew up in Edmonton where his dad spent

45 years as a DJ, spinning mostly rap and R&B on Edmonton’s CSJR FM. “Rap in America is different, it’s been happening there for such a dramatically long time,” he said. “Canadian rap is embryonic in comparison.”

But Edmonton’s former Poet Laureate isn’t quick to call himself a rapper.

“If you listen to my music it’s a mix of several genres,” he said.

“I’m making a futuristic, electronic rap hybrid.”

See Canadian on page 17

Arts

14 •queensjournal.ca

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2012

art revIew

Disorienting encounters David Yu’s exhibit, Other Random Encounters, bombards and confuses the senses B y J illian WooD Contributor David Yu’s exhibit at the Artel uses glass tables and coffee mugs to recreate chance encounters.

Inside the exhibit, Other Random Encounters, loud speakers play several conversations at the same time. You can’t make out what the people are saying.

It’s disorienting.

Inside the mugs are projections on frosted paper of the individual people having these conversations, with the slide changing every 45 seconds.

The use of mugs in different shapes and designs is a creative way to display the random encounters. They bring to mind a coffee house and the variety of conversations one might have there, all disconnected and isolated.

It’s clear the tables are separated to show random encounters occurring. But

it’s unclear why the mugs are further separated — why not display the two people David Yu says his current work blurs “between a constructed situation and a having a conversation together in the same ‘real’ situation. “ mug? Yu ostracizes each figure not only from the viewer, but from all figures to create true randomness.

Other Random Encounters would have been better suited to a gallery with multiple rooms. If the tables were in different rooms with individual sound systems then the viewer could travel to different conversations.

Ambiguity is the main problem of this exhibition. Vagueness can often be justified by the idea that the viewer is inconsequential, that what matters is that the artist understands the point of his or her piece. But there’s a difference between ambiguity as a theme and ambiguity as a result of poor execution.

Unfortunately Other Random Encounters suffers from the latter.

Other Random Encounters is on display at the Artel until Jan. 30.

David Yu holds a BFA from Ontario College of Art and Design.

photo by AsAd chishti

photo by AsAd chishti

Arts

Friday, january 27, 2012

queensjournal.ca

• 15

interview

‘Shambolic Spinal Tap’ Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco discusses the band’s hiatus B y A lyssa A shton Arts Editor Hardcore-punk band Fucked Up spent 2011 touring Australia with the Foo Fighters and releasing their third studio record, David Comes to Life, which topped Spin magazine’s list of albums of the year.

Then, the band announced a hiatus for 2012.

But drummer Jonah Falco said it’s just an excuse to take a winter break.

a swamp, the “wayImagine you can’t quite see the ground and you can’t quite see the water. ”

— Jonah Falco, on Fucked Up’s new album “This year was particularly busy. We’ve had a lot of great things happen to us this year, but rest and relaxation wasn’t exactly one of them,” Falco said, adding that a need for relaxation wasn’t the only reason the

band decided to take the next few months off.

“Our guitar player [Josh Zucker] and his girlfriend just became parents.”

Falco said he’s comfortable being at home, for now.

“Part of the thing about touring is it doesn’t give you a lot of mental space to think about yourself as much because you are always moving and always engaging,” he said. “It’s a single workplace that’s recreated every night.”

Falco’s rest will be short-lived. On Feb. 7 they will release the Year of the Tiger as a part of their annual Zodiac series, which is inspired by the Chinese calendar “These records all follow a kind of musical theme, that is the A side is quite long and the B side is maybe a bit more experimental,” he said.

The 12-inch is being described as a rock masterpiece by critics.

“Year of the Tiger is a lot slower and it’s a bit bigger than we’re sort of used to going.

It’s got this really like foggy brooding feel at the beginning,” he said. “Imagine a swamp, the way you can’t quite see the ground and you can’t quite see the water and you’re

Prescribing beats Continued from page 13

this weekend.

“Kingston does not have a particularly strong rap scene,” he said. “So I’ve been really, really blessed in that right now I’m in the stage where I’m trying to assimilate myself into the Kingston music scene and I’m surrounded by really strong peers.

“I’m blessed to have these people whose opinions I respect but who are also some of my best friends just coming out to support me.”

He has no plans to set down the microphone after he graduates from the School of Medicine in 2015.

“I can see myself as a rapping doctor,” he said. “If there’s a time and a place to fit hip-hop culture and hip-hop music into medicine, maybe I’ll find a way.”

Egyptian Prescription opens for Cadence Weapon at the Grad Club on Jan. 27 and 28.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m.

Quoted “It’s hypocritical, but most of my rap is really ‘bragadocious,’ like bragging about how awesome I am at rapping.

— Joseph Gabriel, on his rapping style

Jonah Falco says of all Damian Abraham’s stage antics, which include penetration, bleeding and nudity, Abraham hanging off scaffolding makes him most nervous.

never sure of how deep something is.

“The B side is kind of a gem, it’s a musical palindrome, which sounds again a bit precious.”

Despite the band’s hiatus they’re returning to the stage for a show in Kingston this weekend. Falco said the band doesn’t have the best memories of Kingston after their last stop in town as a part of a four-week tour of Southern Ontario — a tour that only started because the band was barred from U.S. for not having

work visas.

“My memories of Kingston aren’t exactly crystal clear and fond,” he said. “But I feel like we’re ready to rectify that. We’re all going to have our rest and we’re going to be fresh-faced about playing music again. You’re going to get the best of it or who knows you may get the most shambolic, Spinal Tap night of your life.”

Fucked Up play Time to Laugh Comedy Club on Sunday at 6 p.m with Carvings and Owl Farm.

Rap request We asked Joseph Gabriel to write a rap to give fans a taste of his sound. Here’s what he produced.

This weekend I’m makin’ noise — ask Caitlin Choi schoolyard bully on the mic, straight break your toys my rhyme writing is prize fighting like Tyson taking ‘roids The rap music version of making your face destroyed Now I’ma have to leave those violent rhymes on the shelf This is newsprint — I ain’t tryin’ to libel myself But it’s tough — ‘cause when I boast and chirp my foes get served Have to remember that this is The Journal, no Golden Words EP’s a canuck, stitchin’ winter toques peace to QJ for printing my interview and the photoshoot was cool, dude snapped ‘em proper but it’s too early to say that I’m a rappin’ doctor

Are you interested in having an editorial voice?

Come join us at the Journal’s open editorial board!

Tuesday March 6

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5:30pm

Joseph Gabriel says he plans on keeping his options open, but hopes to go into internal medicine.

photo by justin chin

Supplied

16 •queensjournal.ca

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2012

Arts

Friday, january 27, 2012

queensjournal.ca

Caterina Florio restores a shoe (left), which can be found in Adornment (right). The shoes come from the late 18th century.

• 17

photo supplied by agnes etherington/ photo by caitlin choi

Collection includes 2,000 fashion artifacts Continued from page 13

she does most of her work, which involves hours at a bench, hunched over the artifacts.

“You develop such an intimate ‘relationship’ with the artifact that you also discover things that maybe have been impossible to know in a curatorial side,” she said. “Sometimes we work under a microscope so you have a really deep, material knowledge of the artifact.”

Since Florio works with a wide range of artifacts with different problems, she can’t estimate an

Next issue Pre-Show Chat The Journal talks to the Arkells at their sold out show on Friday.

Get Ignited This year’s ArtIgnite event will feature 17 days of art events including films, orchestras and workshops.

Empire Debut Young Empires debut their first record ahead of their show at the Mansion.

Print Context Union Gallery’s new exhbit Civic explores the role of editorial cartoons.

average amount of time a piece takes to restore.

“I work on very small sections at a time, I work at the thread level,” she said. “And also since it’s such a particular and focused work the body, the human body, my body, is very tired.

You develop such an “intimate ‘relationship’

with the artifact that you also discover things that maybe have been impossible to know.

”

— Caterina Florio, textile conservationlist

“For instance one of the recent projects I was working on was a military jacket from the War of 1812 and that took a month and a half. But if we’re talking about tapestry, that can take years to finish or it can take a week.”

Since Florio works with so many clothes and fashion accessories, it was inevitable to ask if she loves fashion.

“Of course,” she said with a laugh. “People that do textile conservation ... have a slight passion for fashion. I guess we’re nerds. We’re in contact with such beautiful things, it kind of develops this love.”

Caterina Florio will give a talk on Textile Conservation at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre on Sunday at 2 p.m.

On Jan. 24 Cadence Weapon tweeted “I have a theory: snoop dogg has never smoked weed, it’s all a scheme to appeal to the lucrative stoner market.”

supplied

‘Canadian rap is embryonic’ Continued from page 13

Pemberton gets inspiration from Canadian producers — including Manitoban production company Peanuts and Corn, founded by Western Canadian Music Award nominee mcenroe.

He said Canadian rap is its own genre entirely.

“I feel like it’s a totally different world coming out of New York City or something,” he said. “The whole infrastructure’s already been built.

“In Canada, I feel like I’m still part of a foundation for this music.”

Pemberton still draws inspiration from his Western Canadian roots — even though he’s currently based in Montreal.

“I feel like there’s this sensation to want to be as general as possible so as many people will like you,” he said. “I feel a duty to represent where I’m from.

“Even if it means rapping about Money Mart or something.”

Cadence Weapon has released two studio albums and three

Want to write for Arts?

Email journal_ae@ams.queensu.ca

mixtapes. His latest release, Tron Legacy: The Mixtape, layers raps over tracks by Gucci Mane and Arcade Fire.

“I’m always more interested in the creative side of things,” he said.

“Despite however successful I end up being, I don’t ever see myself hanging out pool side rather than making music.”

Cadence Weapon plays the Grad Club on Jan. 27 and 28. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m.

Tickets are $15.

18 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, january 27, 2012

sports Men’s hockey

Goalie steps up in win over Ravens Men’s hockey’s Riley Whitlock makes 33 saves in 3-2 victory in Ottawa B y Peter M orrow Staff Writer Goalie Riley Whitlock switched masks and the men’s hockey team started winning — Tuesday’s 3-2 over the Carleton Ravens win in Ottawa was the Gaels’ fifth of 2012.

The first-year law student stopped 33 of 35 shots against the Ravens. Since picking up a new goalie mask over the winter break, he has a 91.9 save percentage and a 2.5 goals against average in eight games. The team is 5-2-1 in that span.

“Maybe the mask is part of it,” he said. “The paint job was all finished after Christmas and I’ve worn it since then.”

Whitlock has the scale of justice, the Queen’s Coat of Arms and the Fort Henry guard painted on the front.

“I’m in law school, so that’s what the scale is for,” he said.

“Since I’m in Kingston, I thought the Fort Henry guard was neat

to have.”

The Calgary native had the Rocky Mountains painted on the back.

Whitlock said the team’s improved play is mostly due to the return of previously-injured players. Forward Jordan Mirwaldt has tallied eight points since his return on Jan. 3.

The Gaels recorded 35 penalty

minutes during Saturday’s loss to the Toronto Varsity Blues — but they only had eight on Tuesday, killing off all four of the Ravens’ power plays. Head coach Brett Gibson said staying out of the penalty box was important for the win.

“Against the Blues, they weren’t disciplined,” he said. “But last night it was a key to success.”

After beating the fourth-place Ravens, the Gaels are ninth in the OUA East with six games to play — but only three points separate the fourth-place and ninth-place teams.

The Gaels got first period goals from forwards Jordan Soquila and Tyler Moore. They led 2-0 until the Ravens goal made it 2-1 in the second period.

Forward David Chubb scored

early in the third period to clinch the win. Ravens’ forward Jeff Hayes scored minutes later, but the Gaels held on to win. Chubb said the looming playoffs are giving his team a sense of urgency.

“Everyone knows what’s at stake every game,” Chubb said.

The Gaels will now hit the road to visit the Ryerson Rams tonight and the Varsity Blues tomorrow.

MEN’S volleyball

Eyes on March Men’s team looks toward nationals B y B enjamin D eans Assistant Sports Editor It’s been a tough season for the men’s volleyball team, but coach Brenda Willis is quietly confident as she looks toward the CIS championship in March. The team went 3-4 in its first seven regular season games, but is 5-2 since then.

“The first half of the season wasn’t part of the original plan,” Willis said. “The guys have made a lot of progress and have started to gel really well.”

“we’llWe’recloseconfident out the season with four wins. ”

photo by corey lablans

The Gaels are 5-2-1 since goaltender Riley Whitlock redecorated his helmet over the holidays.

Business

Sports conference kicks off Queen’s Sports Industry Conference brings pros to Kingston B y G ilbert C oyle Sports Editor Canadian Football League executives are hoping Queen’s Commerce students can find ways to fill the seats at Toronto Argonauts games next season.

The CFL is sponsoring a competition at this weekend’s Queen’s Sports Industry Conference (QSIC). The case competition — which takes place this afternoon — challenges delegates to devise marketing strategies for Argos home games.

Each team will present to a panel

of CFL executives.

The Argos averaged attendances of 20,017 per game during the past season. The Toronto club will host the Grey Cup in the fall.

“If they like the ideas the delegates come up with, they will implement them into their business plan,” conference co-chair Mitch Reeves, Comm ’13, said.

According to organizers, last year’s case competition sponsor — Molson-Coors Canada Inc. — made delegates sign a waiver ensuring that any ideas presented during the competition were allowed to be used by the

beer company.

Reeves and Ethan Wolfe, Comm ’12, are in charge of this year’s conference, an annual threeday event run under the Commerce Society that involves 120 delegates, seven keynote speakers, the case competition and three evening socials.

This year’s keynote speakers include Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment CFO Ian Clarke, University of Toronto Sports Law Professor Gord Kirke and MFIVE Sports Management Co-Managing Director Anthon Thun — NHL star Vincent Lecavalier’s agent.

—Brenda Willis, men’s volleyball coach

As hosts, the Gaels automatically have a place as one of the eight teams at the national championship — their first appearance since they finished fifth two seasons ago. With eight players set to graduate, the team isn’t likely to have another shot at a national title for at least four years.

This season was supposed to be all about the team’s five fifth-year players — outside hitters Joren Zeeman, Bryan Fautley Delegates gather at Goodes Hall for the opening ceremonies of the Queen’s Sports Industry See Gaels on page 23

Conference on Thursday night.

PHOTO BY Asad Chishti

Wolfe said the conference is an avenue for delegates to network with business and sports professionals on a personal level.

Reeves and Wolfe were chosen to head the conference last February and they selected an 18-person executive team in March. The executive team covers responsibilities ranging from attracting speakers and securing sponsorship money, to booking venues and planning social events.

The delegates come from all over Canada — 80 are Queen’s Commerce students while 40 are from other universities. Reeves said the executive has been in touch with other business schools and sports programs across the country. Brock University’s Sports Marketing program has eight delegates at this weekend’s conference.

This year’s conference budget is over $50,000, made up entirely of corporate sponsorship and delegate fees. Three sponsorship executives were responsible for attracting over 14 corporate sponsors. Reeves said the most effective method was to sell specific events to potential sponsors.

Pro-Line is sponsoring tonight’s dinner.

Reeves said a large number of See Pro-Line on page 23

Friday, january 27, 2012

SportS

queensjournal.ca

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20 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, january 27, 2012

PlayoFF PicTuRe

Who’s making the playoffs?

Sports editor Gilbert Coyle weighs in on each varsity team’s post-season chances season and nothing is certain. The Gaels have two games in Toronto against the seventh-place Ryerson Rams, a trip to Trois-Rivieres to play the second-place UQTR Patriotes and a home game against the Lakers to close out the season.

The Gaels are good enough to move up in the standings. But one bad game could make them miss the playoffs entirely.

start in the playoffs.

Last season, the Gaels finished fourth in the league, but went on to win the OUA title. No matter where they finish in the standings this season, it would foolish to count them out for a long playoff run.

Women’s hockey At 10-5, the women’s volleyball team has defied preseason expectations.

Women’s volleyball

JOUrnAl File PHOTO

The Gaels are 5-1 at home in the ARC this season — if they beat the Gee-Gees and secure second place, they’ll have home-court advantage until the OUA Final Four. After that, the OUA title will be up for grabs.

With 12 rookies on the roster, the women’s volleyball team wasn’t supposed to be this good. But at 10-5, the Gaels are a legitimate OUA contender, fighting for second place in the league.

Men’s hockey The team’s success has come down to its veteran players. In October, men’s hockey coach Fourth-year outside hitter Natalie Brett Gibson said his team could Gray leads the OUA with 161 kills, compete in the OUA as long as fourth-year outside hitter Becky his already-depleted roster could Billings is close behind with 131 survive until Jan. 1. and third-year setter Anna Pedjase But first semester went worse is third in assists with 9.4 per than expected. With eight injured game. On defence, Billings and players, the Gaels ended 2011 second-year middle Katie Hagarty outside the playoff picture with a are tied for fifth in the OUA with 27 6-7-1 record. saves each.

After a five-week holiday break, After suffering their first stumble a healthier team has won five of of the season with a two-loss road eight games in 2012 and sit at trip earlier this month, the Gaels ninth in the OUA, four points bounced back with two straight-set behind the third-place Nipissing wins in Thunder Bay last weekend. Lakers. Forward Jordan Mirwaldt With only three regular-season has recorded eight points since his games left — including a home return from injury on Jan. 3 while game against the second-place captain Jon Lawrance has broken Ottawa Gee-Gees tonight — the out of his slump, scoring five points women’s volleyball team can start in eight games. looking to the playoffs.

Six games remain in the regular

Last weekend at the Memorial Centre, the women’s hockey team lost 4-0 to the second-place Guelph Gryphons and beat the eighth-place Brock Badgers 3-2 — an accurate reflection of the season so far.

The Gaels are third, but they’re a notch below the first-place Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and the second-place Guelph Gryphons.

They’ve lost all games played against both teams this season, and JOUrnAl File PHOTO one loss was a shootout loss.

The women’s The Gaels are also struggling hockey team is third in the OUA. of late. They’ve lost four of six games since returning from winter break and now sit only two points ahead of the York Lions and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues with six regular-season games left.

Forward Morgan McHaffie leads the OUA with 33 points and should be in contention for the MVP award, while her sister Brittany has 22 points.

But Brittany’s out with a knee injury and there’s no timeline for her return.

Head coach Matthew Holmberg also hasn’t declared a starting goaltender — Karissa Savage has better statistics, but Mel-Dodd Moher has started 12 of 21 games. It’s unclear who will

Men’s basketball It can’t get any worse for the men’s basketball team.

At 0-14, the Gaels are tied for dead last with the Royal Military College Paladins. They’re losing by an average of 20 points per game and trail every team but the Paladins in all statistical offensive categories.

This was expected — with a new coach and only two players with over two years of Queen’s experience, it was always going to be a rebuilding season.

Guard Mackenzie Simpson — a transfer student from St. Lawrence College — has been the team’s most consistent scorer with 11.5 points per game, while first-year player and fourth-year student Mike Farine has quickly become a regular contributor. And with second-year guard Ryan Golden, second-year forward Nikola Misljencevic and rookie forward John Lenz earning significant minutes, the future See Post-season on page 22

Friday, january 27, 2012

Sports

queensjournal.ca

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SportS

22 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, january 27, 2012

WoMen’s volleyBall

Second-place showdown Women’s volleyball gets another crack at the Ottawa Gee-Gees at the ARC tonight B y a nanD s riVastaVa Staff Writer The women’s volleyball team ended last season with a loss against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. They started this season the same way.

But tonight at the ARC, the Gaels have a chance to extract some revenge on the team that ended their playoff hopes last season. A win at the ARC would see the Gaels overtake the Gee-Gees for second place in the OUA. The Gaels are coming off two straight-set victories over the Lakehead Thunderwolves and are 5-1 at home this year. But the Gee-Gees — winners of four of their last five — have beaten Queen’s in three straight matches.

The Gaels and Gee-Gees are currently tied with 20 points each but Ottawa’s winning record against Queen’s gives them the advantage in the event of a tie.

“We have this unspoken rivalry with Ottawa,” head coach Joely Christian-Macfarlane said. “It’ll be nice to get them on our court to play them.”

Christian-Macfarlane said her team hasn’t forgotten about the four-set loss in their last meeting with Gee-Gees in October.

“Our goal is to play them better this time than we did last time,” she said. “We were

overwhelmed by them.”

Christian-Macfarlane said tonight’s game will be dictated by her team’s play at the net against a hard-hitting Ottawa team. “[Against Lakehead], for the first time ever we had more than five blocks in a match,” she said. “If we can stop [Ottawa] at the net and be aggressive above the net, it makes playing defence a lot easier.”

Christian-Macfarlane needs another strong performance from second-year outside hitter Katie Hagarty, who posted a cumulative 25 kills, nine digs and six service aces last weekend.

Hagarty said the Gaels have grown since the early-season loss to the Gee-Gees.

“That really doesn’t mean that much to us right now,” she said. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

With only three regular-season games remaining, the Gaels need good results to clinch home court advantage for OUA quarter-final and semifinal games.

“Our team definitely plays better at home so it would help if we were here for the playoffs,” Hagarty said. “But as long as we’re playing well we’re not really that concerned with our seed.”

The Gaels and the Gee-Gees will take the court tonight at 7p.m. at the ARC.

The Gaels haven’t beaten the Ottawa Gee-Gees since November 2010. They fight for second place in the OUA at the ARC tonight.

JOUrnAl File PHOTO

Post-season push Continued from page 20

looks bright.

The Gaels are still outside contenders for a playoff spot. They trail the eighth-place York Lions by three games, but have a home-and-home series against the Paladins before travelling to York on Feb. 17.

If the Gaels win their games against the Paladins and the Lions, they will be tied with York. But the Lions still have a game remaining against RMC on Feb. 18 — a Lions win over the Paladins would likely eliminate the Gaels from contention.

on the OUA all-time scoring list — has carried the team with 17.5 points per game, second-year point guard Liz Boag is playing over 27 minutes in every outing and post Sydney Kernahan has proven herself a starter.

But the Gaels are a middle-of-the-pack team.

They’ll make the playoffs, but won’t get past the second round.

Women’s basketball Last week, the women’s basketball team was 7-5, third in the OUA East and pressing for a first-round playoff bye. But that was before they had seen the Carleton Ravens and the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The Gaels lost by a combined 54 points to the league’s top-ranked teams — including a 59-27 defeat to the Ravens that head coach Dave Wilson called “one of the worst performances I’ve seen in my history at Queen’s.”

With eight games left — one against the Ravens and the Gee-Gees each — the Gaels are in fourth place at 7-7 and need to overtake the Ryerson Rams to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Fifth-year guard Brittany Moore — fifth

The women’s basketball team is in fifth place at 7-7.

JOUrnAl File PHOTO

FoR WeekenD GaMe uPDaTes Follow @QJsports

SportS

Friday, january 27, 2012

Gaels aim to win next four Continued from page 18

and Niko Rukavina, middle Mike Amoroso and setter Dan Rosenbaum. All five committed to return this season so they could win a national title. But so far this season, they haven’t even been on the court together.

The team has struggled without Rosenbaum, who has a hip injury, and Fautley, who’s suffering from a back injury. Rukavina can’t jump because of an ankle injury, bumping him from outside hitter to libero.

This season, Rosenbaum hasn’t played at all and Fautley has only played five sets all season.

Willis said Fautley won’t play this weekend. Rukavina has succeeded in his new defensive role and is a strong candidate for OUA Libero of the Year after leading the league in defensive stats.

Willis said the team’s healthy fifth-years — Zeeman and Amoroso — are both contenders for a place on the OUA All-Star team. Zeeman leads the OUA with 4.3 points per set.

The OUA All-Star team won’t be announced until after the end of the Gaels’ regular season on Feb. 5.

The team is on the road this weekend to face the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Ryerson Rams — both teams are out of the playoffs with only two wins each.

Next weekend, the Gaels host the first-place Western Mustangs and the third-place Windsor Lancers.

The Gaels are in fifth place at 8-6.

They’ve already clinched a spot in the OUA playoffs, but the games against Western and Windsor will determine who they play in the quarter-finals. Queen’s lost to both teams in early November.

“We’re confident we’ll close out the season with four wins,” Rosenbaum said.” “Hopefully, that will put us in place to host a quarter-final game.”

The team with the best regular

season record — likely Western or the McMaster Marauders — hosts the OUA Final Four Feb. 24 and 25. Willis said anything besides an OUA championship would make the Gaels an eighth-seed at nationals, forcing them to play the Trinity Western Spartans in the first round. The Spartans are the defending CIS champions and are undefeated in the competitive Canada West division this season.

The Gaels played two exhibition games with the Spartans over the

winter break — all of the seven sets between the two teams were decided by a margin of less than four points and the Gaels won one set 36-34.

In less than two months, the team’s season will be over. Eight players will have touched a volleyball for the last time in their Queen’s careers.

“We’re in the final push of our season,” Rosenbaum said. “After this weekend, we’re going to treat every game as a must-win situation.”

The men’s volleyball is 8-6 and fifth in the OUA.

queensjournal.ca

• 23

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JOUrnAl File PHOTO

Pro-Line dinner Continued from page 18

returning sponsors allowed the executive to create a provisional budget early last year. The group was able to make basic plans with a smaller budget and then expand plans as the money kept coming in.

QSIC organizers also spoke to Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke and Toronto Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo — though neither were able to commit to an appearance at the conference.

“It’s surprising how many high-profile people we can contact,” he said. “There’s generally a lot

of interest from them. If they can’t come, they usually suggest somebody else.”

“These guys started out just like us,” logistics executive Sam Petras, Comm ’13, said. “They’re passionate about sharing their experiences with young people.”

Since the executive’s goal is to break even, they aren’t able to pay speakers. But Wolfe said most speakers are happy to do it for free — sometimes they stick around for other parts of the conference.

“Some guys will be able to come in on Thursday and stick around for a night or two,” he said. “Some will even come out to the socials

ACROSS 1 Help on the sly 5 Creche visitors 9 Sch. org.

12 Short skirt 13 Astringent 14 Rowing need 15 Quickly 17 Take to the slopes 18 Stretch vehicle 19 Played Hamlet, e.g.

21 Stares stupidly 24 Soon, in poetry 25 Crucifix 26 Some graduate courses 30 — and outs 31 Maximum 32 “The way” in China 33 Debris 35 Crazy 36 Stubborn beast 37 Dissolves 38 Sordid 40 Many millennia 42 Standard 43 Put off 48 Request 49 Operatic solo 50 Goodyear product 51 “Indeed”52 Transaction 53 Verve DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 16 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28

Seize Saharan Man’s possessive Swindle Puzzle diagram, e.g.

Highly rated Mailing-date indicators Writer Kingsley Location Ostrich’s cousin Huck’s transport

LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS

Roadie’s equipment Life story, for short Type measures Like nobility, e.g.

Sir’s partner Too Eviscerate “This is no joke!”

Of the very, very young

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Friday, January 27, 2012

postscript Members of the Queen’s Speculative Gaming Society (Q-Sigs) are seen playing Dark Heresey, a tabletop role-playing game that’s part of the Warhammer 40, 000 Series.

photos by corey lablans

clubs

Breaking into the role-play realm Tabletop role-playing games depend on imagination and math skills B y J essica F ishbein Postscript Editor This weekend, eight members of the Queen’s Speculative Gaming Society (Q-Sigs) will spend hours inhabiting the fantastical realm they’ve shaped for the past three months.

The Q-Sigs club caters to tabletop role-playing games where players invest in fictional worlds, create one-of-a-kind plots and control invented characters.

“It’s a very niched hobby [that] people don’t know about,” Q-Sigs President Mackenzie Collins said.

“It has a lot of untapped potential.”

Role-playing games incorporate imaginative and interactive elements.

“It’s a lot of thinking on your feet and problem-solving. You need to be creative and collaborative,” Collins, ArtSci ’14, said.

Members of Q-Sigs are currently playing Dark Heresy, which is part of the Warhammer 40,000 series.

In Dark Heresey, players take instruction from an inquisitor, who sends them on missions that include killing gangs and combating corruption.

Dark Heresy takes place on a three-dimensional board, which the players create themselves. The players’ characters are represented by figurines, whose fate is often determined by the roll of a dice.

Q-Sigs members painted the figurines themselves.

While you might not have heard of Dark Heresey, other role-play games have received ample publicity.

According to Collins, Dungeons

and Dragons is a good example intense stories and interpersonal of a role-playing game, but conflicts rather than just combat isn’t necessarily an accurate and conflict.”

The storylines of fantasy representation of the genre as role-playing games may differ, a whole.

Dungeons and Dragons was but there are common clichés, created by Gary Gygax and Dave Collins said.

“You meet in a tavern. That’s the Arneson. It was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules stereotypical role play beginning,” (TSR). Its been translated into over Collins said. “You introduce the a dozen languages and is now sold world at the beginning of the game.

You introduce who you are and in fifty countries.

“The Dungeons and Dragons where you are … if you’re playing creator is very well-respected, but in modern day you tell characters the medium has extended to be where you’re living.”

Players create a character sheet more,” Collins said.

Role-playing games allow for prior to the game’s beginning. This card holds integral information unlimited variety.

“If you want to have a giant, about the character that helps sprawling epic with lots of different players keep focus.

“It holds the statistics and characters that can be good … but usually it’s best to only have four to information about character … the character concept, how the rules six members,” Collins said.

He added that the group of the game translate,” he said, dynamic doesn’t generally adding that the gamemaster often discusses their vision of the game breed conflict.

“It’s like co-writing a novel with with members in the weeks prior to the game’s start. five other people.”

Put simply, the gamemaster Like any form of fiction, role-playing games encompass creates the world, Collins said. “[He] creates all characters who all genres.

“They can be very violent, aren’t players,” he said. “He creates but they can also be more the world and the players live in it light-hearted,” Collins said, in … [he] creates a crisis for them to reference to romance role-playing respond to. You design the world games. “There’s a game where you and the crisis.”

However, the gamemaster’s play as a samurai and defeat a monster … each woman is trying powers can only extend so far.

The personalities of role-play to gain the love of a samurai.”

Fantasy and science fiction are characters depend entirely on the the most popular genres though, creator, Collins said.

“They have … their own Collins said.

“You can make up anything. motivations and their own It doesn’t have to be fantastical goals, their own strengths and … but that’s more common,” he weaknesses,” he said. “They all said. “You can have advanced and want their moment in the sun.”

An afternoon with Q-sigs I wasn’t expecting such intense focus when I attended a Queen’s Speculative Gaming Society (Q-Sigs) practice last Sunday.

Upon my arrival, players were already consulting their notes and listening in rapt attention to the gamemaster’s update of where the story left off.

The question “Should we destroy the book” was repeatedly thrown around the table, clearly reflecting a significant and contentious plot line.

However, when I asked a

member what the game’s plot entailed, I was told, “It’s pretty ridiculous. I can’t even begin to describe it.”

I was embarrassed, to say the least — I soon saw how my ignorance would have made my participation in such an intricate game impossible. This game had been ongoing for weeks.

I felt awful interrupting with what were, retrospectively, silly queries regarding how the game worked. My personal intrusions were downright unwarranted. It

seemed almost unsportsmanlike to break the players’ unwavering and impressive concentration.

Magic markers were employed by each member to draw a detailed map of the game’s setting.

Aside from the map, other materials included dice and tiny detailed figurines — some were men, some were warriors.

I left after an hour, still confused about what I was watching. The game would continue for at least another two hours.

quoted “We know people who have an entire fictional village populated entirely with fictional characters who have distinct personalities ... its amazingly beautiful.”

Character creation borrows heavily from the world of creative writing, a world that isn’t new to Collins, an English minor.

But the world of role-play doesn’t just rely on the imagination.

Collins said role-playing games also require math skills.

“It’s an intersection of three interesting things — the game aspect, with dice and probability, the acting and the story,” he said.

A character’s statistics are either determined randomly, via the roll of a dice, or by a system of point allocation.

“You’ll have 50 points, for example, that you’d have to distribute to qualities like strength, dexterity, intelligence,” Collins said.

These qualities determine how capable a character will be of accomplishing a certain feat, such as climbing a steep cliff, Collins said.

In Dark Heresy, statistics include weapon skill, ballistic skill, strength, toughness, agility, intelligence, perception, will power and fellowship.

Role-playing games demand attention to detail. Those seeking to play the specific series Pathfinder, for example, adhere to a strict set of rules.

“It’s a specific game line. It has a core rule book … it tells you how to make a fantasy character and how to make a plot,” he said.

In addition, those wishing to take up role-playing games as a hobby should expect a dent in their bank account.

“If you’re starting from scratch and have a group of friends together who’ve never played before … you’ll want to get a book that’ll be between $30 to $50,” Collins said. “I’d say its around $80 for startup. But it’s unlimited creative potential.”

— Connor Fitzpatrick,

role-play enthusiast

Certain members of Q-Sigs own Dark Heresey rule books, but Collins said they aren’t mandatory.

“It’s handy to have a book to have an introduction and get yourself started,” he said. “You can do anything … but most people want a little more structure.”

Collins doesn’t usually require the assistance of a rule book — he’s been playing tabletop role play for nearly four years.

“I wanted to do it eight years ago, but no one wanted to, or knew what they were doing,” he said. “I did one or two juvenile attempts.”

Currently, Q-Sigs members engage solely in tabletop role playing games. But they’re looking to expand.

Live-action role-playing (LARP), where players physically personify their characters, is similar to tabletop role play, Collins said.

Members of the club are hoping to start LARP soon.

Spaces on campus like the Red Room in Kingston Hall are options for LARP settings, Collins said.

“With LARP, not everyone can be the main character. It depends on the scope or scale of the story,” he said.

Connor Fitzpatrick, ArtSci ’14, is also a member of the club. He said he enjoys the surprise that’s inherent in role-playing games.

“It’s like an improvised play, things can happen to you but there’s no director telling you their motivation,” he said.

“This generates a whole lot of creative potential.”

The club started their current Dark Heresy plot in October.

“The three-hour session … is like an episode of it, per se. The overarching plot thread continues,” he said. “It takes months and months and months.”