Campus events
Black history on campus Organizers deconstruct meaning behind annual event B y M eaghan Wray Assistant News Editor Opportunities to study black history at Queen’s are limited, says Maame Debrah, a board member for Queen’s Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination (QCRED). “I don’t think there’s an avenue for people to learn outside of classrooms,” Debrah, ArtSci ’13, said. February is Black History Month and this year’s theme at Queen’s is “deconstructing.” The main goal is to break down why this specific month
exists and what it means to black people in both the Queen’s and Kingston communities. Debrah, who interns with CFRC as the Black History Month co-ordinator, said black history shouldn’t be separate from everyone else’s histories. “As a human race, what affects someone else does affect another person in some way. It’s not only something that should be seen as affecting only black people,” she said. “It intersects. It is everyone’s history.” One downfall of QCRED-organized events this year was minimal outreach to
students, Debrah said, adding that more community-building needs to occur. “The turnout wasn’t so amazing and we probably didn’t reach out as much,” she said. Last night’s speaker was Anne-Marie Woods. Woods is a creative consultant at Imani Enterprises and focuses on youth education. She is also a spoken-word poet, actress and singer. She wrote a travel column for Sway Magazine and is a CBC radio producer based in Toronto. Her talk, what you don’t
Photo By Corey lablans
Activist, author and poet Anne-Marie Woods spoke to a crowd in Dunning Hall as part of the annual Black History Month.
know can hurt you, centred on the importance of education on black history.
Woods sat down with the Journal after her presentation. See Anne-Marie on page 6
T h u r s d ay , F e b r u a r y 1 6 , 2 0 1 2 — I s s u e 3 4
the journal Queen’s University — Since 1873
Student violinist earns top honour
alfie’s
No confirmed druggings in case B y K atherine Fernandez -B lance News Editor
Deanna Choi, ArtSci ’14, practices in Grant Hall Wednesday night. Choi won the 2011 gold medal for violin, granted by the Royal Conservatory of Music. For full story see page 2.
Photo By Justin Chin
Activism
Animal rights group rallies Group protests against fur in Canada Goose jackets B y S avoula S tylianou Assistant News Editor
According to the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, an activist group The popularity of Canada Goose established in 1944, each year over jackets on campus resulted in 100,000 coyotes are trapped and an anti-fur demonstration on killed in Canada. “If you see a fur trim on a Canada Tuesday afternoon. The Kingston Animal Trust, Goose jacket, it’s definitely real fur,” a local animal rights advocacy Simpson said. group, staged the protest outside Canada Goose has a fur policy the JDUC. on their website that explains why Participants gave out pamphlets using real fur is strictly for practical with information about the purposes in cold weather. “Faux fur is ONLY a fashion trapping and killing of animals statement,” the policy reads. “It in Canada. “The major thing is Canada will not act the same way that Goose jackets — it is so present real fur does to protect skin on campus. Everyone has one. from frostbite.” That was the reason we started is The policy also states that because of this renewed interest in coyotes are one of three animals fur coats,” Eric Simpson, member that protect people from frostbite. of the Kingston Animal Trust, said. “The first two are wolf and Canada Goose uses coyote fur wolverine; however, they are not trim on their jacket hoods. abundant, so not a viable option,”
the policy reads. It also says coyotes are used because they are considered “pests.” “They attack livestock, endangered prey species, pets and sometimes even people,” it reads. Simpson said this was the group’s first time holding an event on campus. “We did some information sessions downtown, walking around and giving people information; but by far, the biggest See One on page 7
scene and we don’t have an active and ongoing investigation,” Koopman said. Gracie Goad, AMS hospitality A week after three Alfie’s patrons and safety services director, said were brought to hospital, officials TAPS staff and Student Constables say there’s no evidence the students haven’t deviated from normal procedure following the incident. were drugged. “Both TAPS and [Student On Feb. 8, three students were brought to hospital after leaving Constables] staff are required to Alfie’s at approximately 1 a.m. obtain SmartServe certification According to Campus Security they prior to working their first shift,” exhibited signs of “intoxication Goad told the Journal via email. “Both services hold training in that appeared in excess of their September which addresses safe actual consumption.” One of the students had reported consumption of alcohol and their to Campus Security officers that responsibilities as staff in providing adequate duty of care to patrons.” she couldn’t move her legs. Donna Joyce is manager of the The following day, Campus Security released a statement that sexual assault domestic violence suggested the students’ drinks program, run out of local hospitals including Kingston General could have been tampered with. Joel Keenleyside, Campus Hospital and Hotel Dieu. She Security’s operations co-ordinator, couldn’t comment on whether the said there’s no indication that the three women were seen by the students were drugged. He added program last week. She said 58 people in the that no one has been implicated in region — this includes Kingston, the incident. Frontenac and “Other than the initial follow-up Lennox, done the following day, there have Addington — came to the program been no further discussions with after being sexually assaulted. [the AMS Pub Services] on this Twenty seven of them reported incident,” Keenleyside told the feeling like they had been drugged Journal via email. “There is still no in some manner. “It’s prevalent provincially clear indication that anyone was in and it’s such a pervasive issue,” fact ‘drugged.’” Constable Steven Koopman, Joyce said. The majority of victims that media relations officer for Kingston Police, said that to his knowledge come forward in both instances none of the three women had are women between the ages of 16 and 24. contacted the police. “We hadn’t even gone to the See It’s such on page 6
Three former gaels vie for london 2012
page 17
news
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
musiC
Student receives gold medal Second-year becomes associate of Royal Conservatory B y c hloË g rande Contributor Student Deanna Choi earned the highest violin examination score in Canada, beating out more than 100,000 students in every category of the annual exam. Three weeks ago she received an email explaining she had been awarded the gold medal for violin performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music. “I didn’t really believe it at first,” Choi, ArtSci ’14, said. “I knew what my mark was and I knew that I did decently but I didn’t imagine that it was actually the best mark.” The practical examination took the form of an hour-long concert performance. She is now an associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, meaning that she has completed all grades in a chosen instrument. In order to honour her achievement, Choi was invited to play at Koerner Hall in Toronto. She had previously performed at the venue with the National Youth Orchestra but this was her first time performing on her own. “If you’re going to put in the time and effort … you need to have an intrinsic drive for it,” she said. “You can’t just be doing it because you want to get money or awards. I think that’s what distinguishes a passion from just an extracurricular activity.” Choi began violin lessons at the
age of five after watching her older sister play. When she was nine, she started entering competitions, including the Canadian Music Festival and the Kiwanis Music Festival. Since then, Choi has won numerous national and provincial awards. Despite having competed in violin competitions since a young age, Choi said she still gets nervous when performing in front of an audience. “You learn how to take anxiety nerves and turn them into adrenaline — boosting nerves,” she said “Once that adrenalin turns into positive energy, that’s what kicks your playing to the next level.” Though Choi was accepted to McGill’s competitive music program two years ago, she chose to study psychology at Queen’s instead. “I realized that I wanted to go to Queen’s and do something other than music,” Choi said. “I also realized that Queen’s itself is a really good fit for me.” She added that she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of studying music in the future. “There are post-undergraduate certificate programs that you can do,” Choi said. “I’ve definitely considered music psychology because there’s been a lot of development in music therapy and so on. We’ll see how things go. It’s nice that there is that option there.”
She isn’t enrolled in the music program at Queen’s, but Choi is still involved in the campus music community. She played in the pit orchestra for shows with Queen’s Student Opera Company and Queen’s Musical Theatre. A Kingston native, Choi has also performed with the Kingston Symphony since she was in Grade 11. “I have no idea what direction I’m going to take music in,” Choi said. “I just know that I’d definitely like to keep it as a part of my life to whatever degree possible.”
Deanna Choi, ArtSci ’14, began playing the violin at age of five. She’s currently a psychology major.
Photo By Justin Chin
CAMPUS CALENDAR Thursday, Feb. 16
Friday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, Feb. 28
Building Arts Communities in Kingston forum The Renaissance Event Venue 1 to 4 p.m.
CFRC DJ Nite The Grad Club 8 p.m.
LGAC’s Feminist Reading Group Discussion of Angela Davis: An Autobiography Frontenac Public Library 6:30 p.m.
CFRC annual fundraiser: Matthew Barber The Mansion 9 p.m. $10
Soul Shakedown Fundraiser for the Sleepless Goat The Mansion 9 p.m. $8 before 10 p.m., $10 after
Saturday, Feb. 25
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
queensjournal.ca
Feature student life
Food centres see student traffic AMS Food Centre and Martha’s Table work to make student visitors feel more comfortable B y R osie H ales Staff Writer Organizers at local food banks are working to reduce the stigma associated with students who seek help. The AMS Food Centre in MacGillivray-Brown Hall sees as many as 100 visits per month. Visitors have to show their student card to access the Food Centre. “Any student is welcome to use the Food Centre,” Food Centre Director Laura Stairs said. “This is a period in our lives when we are not only continuing to grow but we’re also using our brains so it’s really important that we have the adequate nutrition to support that continued development.” The Food Centre opened its first location on Earl Street in 1997 to field the students who’d been frequenting the Kingston Food Bank. Students who are living in poverty at Queen’s are able to access services to ease the financial strain that student life can bring. But many choose to stay away from the student-run organization. “There is definitely a stigma when it comes to using the Food Centre,” Stairs said. “In an environment like Queen’s where there is this perception that students come from wealth, it can be difficult to admit to the students that you might see in class that you actually can’t afford healthy food.” The Food Centre operates three times a week with staff working hour-long shifts. Stairs said seven or eight people visit every day. Stairs has tried to alleviate the stigma attached to using a food bank by reducing the differentiation between volunteers and students. Students who use the Food
“An interesting thing about student poverty is that it’s often a transient phase,” Stairs said. “Hopefully, we graduate and get good jobs and that time of our life is over.” Students looking for food support have off-campus options as well. Director of Martha’s Table, Ronda Candy, said a few Queen’s students who regularly use Martha’s Table. The Princess Street organization gives out three-course meals for $1. Candy said she’s working specifically to address the stigma surrounding receiving help from food centres. Representatives from Martha’s Table are hoping to speak at Frosh Week in September. She said some students opt for It can be difficult to Martha’s Table because they don’t admit to the students know how to cook. that you might see in “We have a full meal and it’s class that you actually already prepared and that’s a good can’t afford thing for our guests because they don’t necessarily have everything healthy food. that they need to prepare it,” — Laura Stairs, Candy added that the variety AMS Food Centre director of different foods is meant to draw visitors. “We try to be nutritious and Stairs said sometimes people will leave bags of groceries on the we’re aware that, for some people, steps outside MacGillivray-Brown we are their main meal source. We cook with low salt, low oil and low Hall as donations. Groups on campus run around trans fats. We try to make it look five food drives a semester to appealing and we present it in a donate to the Food Centre. There’s dignified and respectful manner.” Martha’s Table is financially also a bin in Metro where people supported by the Kingston can make donations. “Some of the non-perishable community and doesn’t receive any food here right now is from Trick government funding. Around 50 or Eat last Halloween,” Stairs said. student volunteers from Queen’s During Trick or Eat, costumed help out at Martha’s Table during students went door-to-door to the week. “It’s really inspiring because I collect food donations. Stairs said even students from know how busy they are and for middle-class households don’t have them to go to the extra trouble to enough money to get the things do something for the community and help others is just wonderful,” they’re used to. Centre can also volunteer there so it’s less obvious they’re using it for support. “We’re all a part of this community where we all have access to food, we just access it in different ways,” Stairs said. Currently, the Food Centre has 28 student volunteers. The Food Centre doesn’t track each student visit, but the number of visits per shift is noted. They don’t limit how much food students can bring home per visit. The Food Centre receives a $2,500 grant from the University every year and collects a $1 opt-outable student fee from the AMS and Society of Graduate and Professional Students.
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Photo by Asad Chishti
she said, adding that all volunteers are invited to stay for dinner. “Some of those that volunteer with us may actually need to use the service, but prefer to come in as a volunteer and stay for dinner.” Service volunteers treat the people the way they’d want to be treated at the service themselves, she said. “It’s a lot for people to overcome to just walk in the door. We work hard on that,” Candy said. “I always tell people, it could be you or me. If you lost your job and had no support system then how long would you have before you needed assistance?” The Ban Righ Centre gives free soup to students every day. They also provide need-based grants and bursaries for students ranging from $500 to $1,200. Interim University Registrar Teresa Alm said 50 per cent of Queen’s undergraduate
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students receive some sort of financial assistance. “There’s a broad scope of students who use financial assistance,” Alm said. “To a large extent financial aid is received by students who have entered university straight from high school, but there are obviously mature students who might be married or have children.” Queen’s gives approximately $21 million to undergraduate students based on merit and need. Graduate students only receive need-based help from Student Awards. Merit-based contributions come from the School of Graduate Studies. Government assistance is offered through the Student Awards Office. Alm said some students in need of financial aid choose not to apply for it because they don’t wish to report their parents’ income. “Some students would rather work extra hours instead of accessing government student assistance,” she said. Alm said the stigma toward financial aid is becoming less prominent. “The government has altered the threshold at which parents would be expected to contribute towards education,” she said. “There are now more students qualifying that are in the middle-income range.” — With files from Terra-Ann Arnone
Photo by Corey Lablans
Photo by Asad Chishti
Martha’s Table on Princess Street serves $1 dinners to community members in need. The AMS Food Centre (top right) opened in 1997 to accommodate students using the Kingston Food Bank.
News
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Administration
New strategic research plan in the works Final draft expected to be presented to Queen’s Senate in the next four weeks, says vice-principal B y R osie H ales Staff Writer The first section of the newly-revised Strategic Research Plan was brought to a Town Hall meeting last Tuesday looking to shift Queen’s research to an international focus. The plan hadn’t been revised since 2006 and will be presented to Senate within the next six weeks. “Research has to be independently taken and looked at,” Steven Liss, vice-principal of research, said. “This plan is different because it attempts to put research in the context of an integrated plan for the University and provides a link to our academic plan.” One of the plan’s proposals is to develop an institute for advanced research, Liss said. “Creating a place where we’re attracting visitors and facilitating discussion allows students to interact with others who they would never have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise,” Liss said. The plan emphasized an internationalization strategy for research at Queen’s. “Queen’s has always been a nationally-oriented university but more importantly we’re also an international university and we have to try and move in that
direction,” Liss said. In the past six months, Liss travelled to the France, Germany, the U.K. and Washington D.C. He is currently in China with Principal Daniel Woolf.
We’re also an “international university and we have to try and move in that direction.
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— Steven Liss, vice-principal of research
Queen’s has been working in collaboration with institutions such as the University of Durham in England. “We are connecting to a complement of institutions of shared values and history. It’s a limited number right now but it’s providing us with a window to the world,” Liss said. Under the plan the Queen’s Research Chair program will be phased out and replaced with a more flexible Research Leaders award. “The Research Chair program at Queen’s needed to evolve as it’s not possible to sustain in the present form,” Liss said. One proposal is that funding earmarked for the Research
Chair program be reinvested into research through the new Research Leaders award — the program is meant to be more flexible in terms of the duration. The research plan detailed that research opportunities be provided for students of all levels, including continued support for programs such as Inquiry@Queen’s, an annual undergraduate research conference held at Queen’s. “There’s a wide variety of research opportunities for students and we need to be able to galvanize that and give it more prominence,” Liss said. In general terms, the research plan also mentioned a need for improved communication and Liss said he now meets with faculty deans on a monthly basis. “Deans are the academic leaders of the university in terms of the aspirations of their faculty,” Liss said, adding that this kind of interaction and community is critical. Queen’s will also publish its first research magazine this spring, which will be committed to two publications per year with the possibility for student involvement and contribution. “We want to advocate our research. It should also help engage our community,” Liss said.
Photo by alexandra petre
Steven Liss, vice-principal of research says the new Strategic Research Plan emphasizes an internationalization strategy.
panel discussion
Gender inequality still prevalent, says panel Women’s Worth Week’s first event addresses feminism, self-esteem and discrimination on campus B y Vincent M atak Staff Writer According to law professor Lynne Hanson, gender discrimination still exists at Queen’s, including the recent suspension of admissions to the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. “BFA student enrolment is basically 90 per cent women. It’s kind of like a microcosm,” she said, speaking at a panel discussion for the kick-off of Women’s Worth Week. “They tend to value areas where males are more predominant. There’s a slant to these things and it’s hidden.” Women’s Worth Week runs until today aiming to promote
awareness of violence against women and self-esteem issues. Hanson said new waves of anti-feminism have begun to surface in society as a response to feminist stereotypes. “The word ‘feminism’ has become negative,” she said. “I don’t think it’s accidental, but we almost have to reinstate it similar to how they did in the 1970s.” Hanson said that while gender inequalities are prevalent on campus, students are knowledgeable enough to recognize when they occur and how they affect different groups of people. “Generally I find the student
body to be very enlightened,” she said. “It’s not across the board, but I think that in a way people will be very receptive to [help] tackle these issues.” The panel attracted close to 10 people and began with a skit aiming to deconstruct derogatory female stereotypes that have been connected with sexual assault toward women. Seven members from Queen’s Performance Outreach for Students’ Social Education donned purple and yellow T-shirts and stepped forward one by one to explain the problems behind the sexual assault of women. “The problem is not whether
I’m sexually active,” one member said to the audience. “It is that you judge,” another said. The theatre group, under the purview of the AMS Social Issues Commission, attempted to deconstruct approximately 10 similar stereotypes before asking audience members to recount their experiences of abuse perpetrated by males. The panel also featured Kim Graham, a community
co-ordinator at the Kingston Sexual Assault Centre. Graham claimed that men and women are still unequal. “When most people think of gender equality they think of men and upper-middle class white women,” Graham said. “There is a further [discrepancy] in equality between men and women of colour, immigrant women or queer women.”
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Law professor Lynne Hanson (left) says the suspension of the Fine Arts program is one example of gender discrimination on campus.
photo by Corey Lablans
Thursday, February 16, 2012
News
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Anne-Marie Woods on Black History Month Continued from page 1
Q. Why is Black History Month important? A: I just think that all history’s important … It’s not really just the history of black people, it’s a part of world history and so for me that’s why it’s important that everyone learns about it, because … you know that your ancestors played a part in it [and] other people know we did something in history too.
Q. How has art shaped you personally? A: It allows me to paint pictures in a way that can help some of the history come to life… You can read something, and it can have an impact on you, but then if you hear or you see it visually too I think that it’s just something that adds to black history … Being an artist is who I am and the art is what I love.
Q. Why focus on youth? A: If you have a gift to work with young people you should use it … I can count how many black teachers I had on one hand between elementary school and university. For me, I think it’s important for young people to be exposed to people of all cultures. One, because a lot of times they may never get a teacher who is from another culture. Two, for kids that
‘It’s such a pervasive issue’ Continued from page 1
Joyce said there are misconceptions when it comes to drug-induced sexual assault. “People tend to typically think of Rohypnol,” she said. Rohypnol is a sedative. Joyce said though that most drugs implicated in sexual assaults are made from things found in a regular medicine cabinet.
“It’s [usually] a concoction of other things,” she said. Recently, the unit changed their mandate to aid sexual assault victims up to one week after an incident. Previously, there was a 72-hour deadline. Regardless, Joyce said it’s important for victims to come forward as soon as possible “The reality is, they’re victims of a crime,” she said, adding that
bystanders have a role to play in prevention. “We need to continue to educate as much as we can, we also need to educate the general public to be a little bit more aware of their surroundings and of their colleagues and their friends,” she said. — With files from Catherine Owsik
Campus Security officers attended to three Alfie’s patrons on Feb. 8 who all exhibited “intoxication that appeared in excess of their actual consumption.”
Photo By Corey laBlans
are black so they can see that ‘you know what this is something that I can do.’ I am of the mindset that young people are the future so I want to invest in them.
Q. How has living and traveling to a variety of places influenced you? A: I grew up in a West Indian household so I grew up with West Indian values … My parents were stricter than others, so it still had that sort of different culture when I came home. I think I have a nomadic spirit, because I was born in one country, then six months later I was baptized in another, and then I moved to Nova Scotia.
Q. Why is the education of black history so important? A: That’s what shapes you whether you realize it or not. Kids spend more time in school than with their parents … I know the teachers who supported me, I remember all of them from when I was young. Education it should just include everybody and the world would just be a better place … I don’t know what’s going to change that — there’s systemic racism, there’s systemic barriers with everything. It’s just going to take dialogue.
News
Thursday, February 16, 2012
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One million animals killed for fur in Canada Continued from page 1
concentration of Canada Goose jackets are on the Queen’s Campus and that’s where the majority of the fur is.” Statistics Canada said one million animals are killed in Canada for their fur every year. Simpson said the event was meant to be information-based. “We really believe that it’s due to people
not knowing, so we think it’s important to educate people. We wanted to avoid the traditional finger-pointing and bring more of a friendly discussion,” he said. “It’s about education, not blaming.” Shawna Robinson, another member of the Kingston Animal Trust, said the group is mandated to raise awareness in the community about animal rights. “[People] farm animals like mink and
foxes and they will have them all in a barn together and then raise them and then kill them and skin them for fur trim,” she said. Robinson said some coats don’t use real fur. TNA’s website states all their fur-lined coats use faux-fur. Robinson said animals are usually killed for fashion alone. “What typically happens is a trapper will catch a coyote and some traps are meant to kill the animal instantly if it catches it in the right spot,” she said. “If they find them alive in the trap, they will shoot them in the head, crush them to kill them, skin them and then toss the body.”
The Kingston Whig-Standard reported that approximately 300 beavers were trapped and killed in townships north of Kingston in spring 2011. The cull was an attempt to curb road damage caused by flooded beaver dams. Each year, almost two million dogs and cats are killed for their fur in China, according to Global Action Network, a non-profit organization. “If you’re buying fur, you don’t even necessarily know what it is. If you’re buying a Canada Goose knockoff, it could be dog or cat fur — you don’t really know,” Robinson said.
News in brief
Kingston Animal Trust member Shawna Robinson said Tuesday’s demonstration was the first time the activist group came to campus.
photo by justin chin
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Adolescents at risk of mental health issues
Romance in Limestone City
A recent study, led by seven Queen’s faculty members, has identified that Canadian youth aged 11 to 15 have a high risk of mental health problems. They found that positive relationships, whether with friends or family, are the most important factor in fostering positive mental health in adolescents. The study was published on the Public Health Agency of Canada website earlier this month. Through more than 26,000 surveys at 436 schools, the researchers tested students’ emotions and behaviours. They categorized the answers by age and gender and found a causal relationship between mental health and healthy behaviours in all instances. The study found that the overall proportion of students that feel understood by their parents has increased from previous years.
Kingston was named Canada’s most romantic city this year by the online retailer Amazon.ca. Guelph took second place, followed by Kelowna, B.C. and Oakville, Ont. The ranking was based on per-capita sales of romance novels, sex and relationship books, romantic-comedy DVDs and Michael Buble CDs since Jan. 1, 2012. This is the third year that the website compiled a list of the “Top 20 Romantic Cities” in Canada. Last year, Kingston was ranked seventh with Victoria, B.C. topping the list. — Catherine Owsik
— Catherine Owsik
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8 •queensjournal.ca About The Journal
Editorial Board Editors in Chief
Clare Clancy Jake Edmiston
Production Manager
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News Editor
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Editorials The Journal’s Perspective
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Possessing an unregistered firearm is a crime, but trying to look cool isn’t.
Judges need wiggle room L
eroy Smickle was taking pictures of himself looking “cool” for his Facebook profile when police stormed into the room. He was wearing boxer shorts, a tank top and sunglasses and wielded a loaded gun, reported the National Post on Feb. 13. Smickle was charged with possession of a loaded firearm after being caught with a gun he didn’t own — police burst into his cousin’s apartment where he was staying in March 2009. The police entered with a search warrant in relation to Smickle’s cousin, who they believed was in possession of illegal firearms. Ontario Superior Court judge Anne Molloy concluded that in Smickle’s case, enforcing mandatory gun laws would constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.” The flexibility Molloy showed was prudent, and punishing Smickle with the mandatory three-year sentence would have done more harm than
good. The Conservative push for mandatory gun-crime sentences was approved by Parliament in 2008. Instead of three years in prison, Smickle was sentenced to five months under house arrest, in addition to the seven months he spent in pre-trial custody, reported the Post. Incarcerating someone for what was described as “adolescent preening” doesn’t send the tough-on-crime message promoted by mandatory sentences. Putting someone in jail for foolishness, when he poses no danger to himself or others, is counter-productive. Our penal system should strive towards being rehabilitative rather than punitive, and the circumstances of Smickle’s crime indicate that he doesn’t need serious rehabilitation. Possessing an unregistered firearm is a crime, but trying to look cool isn’t. Justice Molloy’s decision in this case is a good example of
why sentencing should be done on a case-by-case basis. Mandatory minimum sentences fail to take into account mitigating circumstances. Incarcerating Smickle wouldn’t prevent him from possessing a gun in the future — it didn’t even belong to him in the first place. To punish Smickle for a simple act of foolishness would be an embarrassment to our justice system. He had no criminal record and poses no threat to public safety. Pushing Smickle out of work, away from his daughter and fiancée, could do more to propagate a criminal lifestyle than deter it. Justice Molloy’s decision is a necessary undermining of mandatory minimum sentences, and giving Smickle three years for his crime would have been unfair. If we don’t discriminate between a hardened criminal and a Facebook fool, then the justice system has failed.
Kelly Loeper
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Thursday, February 16, 2012 • Issue 34 • 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 35 of Volume 139 will be published on Friday, March 2, 2012.
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Legal System
Jessica Munshaw Terence Wong
Blogs Editor
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Technology
Forget about WiFi woes O
n Monday, the Ontario Protection Agency (HPA), the English Catholic Teachers frequencies in WiFi are broadly Association (OECTA) called on the same as those from FM radio, schools to prohibit the installation television and cell phones. If the concern is significant of WiFi, citing increased risk of enough to merit the removal of brain cancer. The debate stemmed from WiFi, then radio and television a May 2011 World Health should be taken out of classrooms Organization report that designated as well. The HPA further claims that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic the radiofrequency exposure from sitting in a WiFi hotspot for one to humans. The WHO report states “there year is equivalent to making a could be some risk, and therefore 20-minute call on a cell phone. we need to keep a close watch for Concerned parents and teachers a link between cell phones and are right to take children’s safety cancer risk.” seriously, but removing WiFi from With inconclusive evidence and schools does them a disservice. a variety of sources that contradict Internet access provides a WHO findings, WiFi should near-endless wealth of information, continue being used in schools. and if there’s a concerted push for The radiofrequency from a more online learning, eliminating router isn’t particularly harmful WiFi isn’t efficient. compared to other technologies. Plus, wiring computers for an According to the British Health entire classroom is costly.
Bending to fears based on insufficient evidence only serves to validate these fears. WiFi has become nearly omnipresent, and can be found in libraries, coffee shops, hotels, malls and most homes. Parents have the right to be wary of a risk that hasn’t been disproven, but paranoia towards technology isn’t reasonable. Limiting a child’s exposure at school won’t protect them from the surfeit of radiofrequencies elsewhere. More research needs to be conducted until there’s a definitive answer as to whether or not WiFi presents a significant health risk. Until then, schools should follow the recommendations of health and education officials: WiFi isn’t dangerous.
Janghan Hong
Stop digging T
his semester marks the first opportunity to receive the 30 per cent off Ontario tuition grant — a promise the Liberals made this fall in provincial elections. If you’re one of the students who received the rebate last week, congratulations. The newly-published Drummond Report calls for the cancellation of the Ontario tuition grant, so it’s important to take advantage of this opportunity and spend the money wisely. Don’t blow your 30 per cent rebate on something frivolous. At Queen’s, students had to pay tuition in full by Sept. 1, so the tuition rebate will mean a sudden excess of funds. If you’re an impulse spender, think over the various options where you can spend your money. The most responsible choice is to use the rebate money to pay down the debt you already have. If you have a credit card that’s maxed out or beyond, this quick influx of cash is a great opportunity to pay down debt before it accumulates. Interest on a Classic Visa Card for students is 19.99 per cent per month, so it’s best to pay down any debt you have as fast as possible. A small purchase can add up after being compounded for a few months. Paying down a loan from OSAP may seem like a good idea but if you’re in credit card debt, that should be first priority. OSAP loans have a low interest rate compared to credit cards, and have a six-month grace period after graduation where interest doesn’t accumulate. It may be tempting to spend your newfound cash on a gadget, like an iPad or a new laptop, but these can have a hefty price tag. However, if your current setup is out of date or if you want something more portable, this might be a good opportunity to make the switch. If you’re inclined to spend the money on a trip somewhere, it’s worth reconsidering. While trips can be a lot of fun, and a well-deserved break from school life, they’re not financially justifiable if you’re holding debt. Taking a trip to visit a prospective graduate school could be a good decision, but if it’s for pleasure, rethink your options. Paying off a credit card isn’t as exciting as an iPad or a vacation getaway, but when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you have to do is stop digging. Let’s show the provincial government that the Ontario tuition grant is an advantage to students and not an excuse to waste money.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
queensjournal.ca
DIALOGUE
•9
Talking heads ... around campus
Perspectives from the Queen’s community
Photos By Justin Chin
What do you think about the new grocery store in the Queen’s Centre?
Journal File Photo
Point/Counterpoint
CFRC structure in perspective As discussions continue between the AMS and CFRC, our panelists debate whether the AMS Board of Directors’ actions have been justified
Yes M itch P iper, A rt S ci ’11 Chair of AMS Board of Directors On Feb. 9 the AMS Board of Directors passed a motion to table the proposed CFRC management structure changes. The changes would see the creation of a fourth manager position at the station. They’d also ensure students remain central to the management structure. Concerns that the AMS Board doesn’t understand the complexity of national broadcast regulations or the unique services provided by CFRC are without merit. The AMS Board of Directors, and particularly the media services director that sits on Board, are actively involved in CFRC decisions throughout the year. The Board exists to provide oversight for all AMS services at arm’s length in consultation with their management and directors where relevant. It’s also mandated to make changes that reflect not only the needs of a particular service, but the needs of all students. The consideration of an additional manager position was originally requested by the current CFRC management. The tabling of this motion affords the Board the opportunity to investigate the complexities of the legal relationship between the AMS and CFRC in order to find the best legal and practical solution moving forward. The AMS is unique among student governments and prides itself in its ability to run successful services under student management. From the Publishing and Copy Centre, to the Queen’s Pub to the AMS as a whole, students are solely responsible for the organization’s operations. While the Board recognizes that CFRC has several distinctions, it’s similar in that it has a history of strong student managers who have performed exceptionally well when afforded the opportunity. The current regulations set by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which govern all radio broadcast licences across Canada, state that broadcast licences must be held by corporations separate from the student government. They also state that the board of directors of these corporations must be
comprised of a balanced number of student, community and university administration representatives. At Queen’s, this broadcast licence is held by a separate corporation named Radio Queen’s University. However, effective management control has been vested in the AMS since the University transferred CFRC operations to the student government in 2003. It’s under the provisions of this transfer agreement that the AMS has exercised authority in hiring managers, staff and volunteers at CFRC who are all subject to AMS policy. The AMS is committed to ensuring that CFRC is in compliance with all CRTC regulations and relevant laws in time for the station’s licence renewal in 2014. The AMS Board understands that the status quo is not effectively meeting the needs of both the station and the AMS as a whole. As the Board reviews the details of this relationship, it will move forward in a way that respects the CRTC’s regulations, CFRC’s management needs and the values of AMS constituents.
Concerns that the AMS Board doesn’t understand the complexity of national broadcast regualtions or the unique services provided by CFRC are without merit. In fact, that’s why CFRC originally requested that an additional manager position be considered by the AMS Board. Ultimately, the responsibility for overseeing the AMS’s relationship with CFRC falls within the purview of the AMS Board of Directors. Both CFRC and the AMS agree that the proposal put forward three weeks ago needs to be re-evaluated. But both groups also recognize that the structure of the current relationship isn’t sustainable. We’re committed to finding a solution that is in the best interest of both corporations. Mitch Piper is chair of the AMS Board of Directors.
No A ndy L ehrer, A rt S ci ’00 AMS Board of Directors ’98 to ’00 Recent moves by the AMS Board of Directors could lead to the eventual loss of CFRC’s broadcast license. The Kingston community radio station has been under scrutiny since an Oct. 25 letter from Board chair Mitch Piper to CFRC’s Advisory board. The letter informed the station that it may be forced to restructure its management. Part of the proposed restructuring would require all CFRC managers to be full-time students, with positions limited to a single year. The station currently employs several part-time students and graduates for multiple years. But while the AMS says it’s a change that would bring the CFRC’s management structure in line with other AMS services, it fails to acknowledge the specific challenges involved with running a radio station. It also fails to consider standards imposed by the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the body that regulates broadcast services in Canada. I’m aware of these challenges because I’ve faced them first hand at Ryerson University’s community radio station, CKLN. I joined CKLN after the station had been off the air for several months due to internal problems. Out of necessity, we attempted to manage the station on a part-time, volunteer basis. The reality is that we were simply unable to keep up with CRTC requirements. With part-time staff, we couldn’t properly monitor everything that went on the air. Last year, CKLN’s licence to broadcast in Canada was revoked. I’m worried the same thing could happen to Kingston’s CFRC if it undergoes the management restructuring proposed by the AMS. CFRC wasn’t always an AMS service. As a member of the AMS Board of Directors in spring 2000, I voted in favour of a motion to strike a committee that would look at transferring control of CFRC from the University to the AMS. This motion started the process that made CFRC an AMS service in 2003. Now it’s time for the AMS to work with CFRC.
Managing a campus community radio station isn’t easy. The learning curve is simply too steep and the work involved is too extensive to be done either on a part-time basis or by staff hired for single-year terms. The results of screwing up at CFRC wouldn’t be limited to one bad year. The consequence would be losing the radio station’s licence and thus denying future students the opportunities it affords. At the very least, the general manager or equivalent at any radio station needs to be full-time and preferably permanent. The AMS itself recognizes the need for continuity at some levels of management — that’s why the society has permanent positions such as the general manager and controller.
The results of screwing up wouldn’t be limited to one bad year. The consequence would be losing the radio station’s license. Consider the drawbacks for the AMS if you eliminated permanent staff and replaced them with part-time or even full-time hires, to be appointed annually. CFRC isn’t exclusively a campus service. It’s granted a campus community licence from the CRTC, meaning that the greater community are also stakeholders and should be consulted. While roughly 40 per cent of CFRC’s budget comes from student fees, approximately 60 per cent comes from non-AMS sources like donations and grants. Rather than attempting to treat CFRC like any other service and impose on it the same management model that’s used for services like the Queen’s Pub or the Publishing and Copy Centre, I strongly urge the AMS to consult stakeholders. Involve them in identifying the needs of the station, examine the best practices at other campus-community radio stations and emulate the best management structures you find there. Otherwise, they risk being remembered as the Board that set in motion CFRC’s demise. Andy Lehrer was a member of the AMS Board of Directors from 1998 to 2000. He is chair of the Socialist Party of Ontario.
“It looks great and there’s good selection.” Liam Faught, ArtSci ’14
“They sell a wide variety of stuff for a lot of ethnicities.” Stephanie Chan, ArtSci ’15
“It’s much nicer than going to Metro.” Marin De Beer, ArtSci ’14
“It’s kind of expensive, but convenient.” Rachel Manto, ArtSci ’14
“The price of apples is comparable to Metro.” David Veitch, Comm ’12
Have your say. Comment at queensjournal.ca
10 •queensjournal.ca
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Interview
Walking for inspiration Kingston-based duo Kris and Dee find their creativity in quiet moments B y Vincent M atak Staff Writer For Kingston-based musicians Kris and Dee, inspiration starts in bed. “We’ll be in the pitch black, drinking coffee and start to work on a song,” guitarist and vocalist Kris Abbott said. “There’s a lot of clarity that comes out of that early-morning quiet.” Abbott started writing music with Dee McNeil in 2006 when they both joined an all-girl punk band in London, Ont. The couple moved to Toronto to write their own music together, eventually relocating to Kingston in 2011 after marrying in 2005. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2011 and they’re in the process of completing a new record. The duo agreed that they try to give listeners space to digest the angst of their music through a glimpse of rock ‘n’ roll. “Some of the content on the record is what you might expect on a pop record, it’s heartbreak,” Abbott said. “Then there’s some that’s a little bit more difficult to digest. There’s a song about dementia. “Sometimes we push a little bit. I’m a rock guitar player. I like to dig in a bit on my acoustics.” Abbott said the vibrancy of their music draws from different things they see on daily walks along the shore of Lake Ontario, with McNeil adding that Kingston’s natural beauty was the main reason the couple moved to the city.
“Connecting with nature is a must for us,” Abbott said. “If I haven’t stopped to appreciate what’s around me, I know I’m not doing the right thing.” While the duo has committed themselves to writing and producing their own music in Kingston, both said maintaining day jobs helps them with their writing process. McNeil teaches in the physiotherapy department at Queen’s while Abbott runs an audio-production business. “It’s like the whole Hannah Montana thing,” McNeil said. “There are a lot of people in music that despise that they have to fit into the society thing. I love the balance. It makes for a happy life and gives me something to write about.” Despite being introverts, both women can’t get enough of the energy of a live audience. “You know you feel the love and you just give it right back,” Abbott said. “It’s so circular.” As for pre-performance rituals, Abbott always takes a shot of tequila. “[Before the show] I get even more introverted, like I’m shy or something,” she said. “But during and after the show it’s a completely different thing.” Both said they would never automatically turn down the opportunity to collaborate with a musician, regardless of the genre. “It’s a meeting of the minds and spirits,” McNeil said. “You want to have this ... musical conversation because it’s just the language that
Arts Kris and Dee explore the shores of Lake Ontario. The scenery in Kingston is one of the main reasons the couple decided to move here.
you speak.” Kris and Dee will be performing this Saturday night at the Grad Club. “One thing that always amazes us when we look into the audience [is] the demographics are
all over the place,” McNeil said. “There’s younger people, there’s students, there’s older people, there’s gay people, straight people, transgendered, punks, rockers, cowboys. We think of ourselves as somewhat misfits because we are a
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little bit of all of that.” Kris and Dee play the Grad Club on Saturday night. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m.
Film
Big-screen Gael Former varsity athlete makes an unlikely film star B y B rendan M onahan Dialogue Editor CFRC staff member Cameron Willis says he used to listen to the radio program Indie Wake Up Call before being hired to host the show’s Thursday morning slot.
photo by Justin Chin
Interview
Friday night spinning Campus radio station to host DJ night as part of annual fundraiser B y S avoula S tylianou Assistant News Editor Cameron Willis, a staff member of CFRC, will be DJing on Friday night at the Grad Club to raise money for the station’s annual week-long fundraiser.
The money raised composes 20 per cent of the radio station’s operating budget. “We’re trying to beat last year’s record of $25,000,” Willis said. Willis is the host of CFRC’s daily morning radio show called the Indie Wake Up Call from 8
a.m. to 10 a.m. and hosts the Thursday slot. The campus radio station runs a DJ night at the Grad Club once a month, inviting anyone the opportunity to perform. This Friday, Grad Club See Finding on page 12
Queen’s alumnus Rogan Christopher didn’t always have his sights set on Hollywood. “Acting was always a side project,” he said. “My [university] degrees are in economics and mathematics.” Even on the side, Christopher, ArtSci ’05 and ’06, wasn’t the acting enthusiast one might assume. He played football and ran track during his years as a Gael, but his aspirations of playing professional football were cut short due to an ankle injury during his final season in 2005. The former varsity athlete has since appeared alongside actors Shane West and Maggie Q in a recurring role on the hit CW series Nikita. Next month, he will be in Kingston promoting his new
film, Footsteps. Christopher plays Martin Tate, a war veteran who arrives home to a troubled family life in the American Midwest. Tate’s father, played by Don Tjart, suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Christopher said Footsteps will resonate with Queen’s students because it’s a story of resiliency and of striving to be better. “At the end of the day it’s about a man trying to help his father get back on his own two feet,” he said. “These are things we all go through at various points in our lives. “There’s a pretty universal undertone of family that audiences will identify with.” Footsteps is a project that materialized for Christopher after discussions with fellow Queen’s graduates Allie Dunbar, ArtSci ’07, See Steps on page 14
Arts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
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Interview
• 11
Q&a
Punk pranks
Porn talks
The Johnstones joke about their ban from Disney Land
Professor Tzachi Zamir discusses the empowering side of porn
B y M egan C ui Staff Writer An Ajax sextet is slotted to play Kingston for the first time in their 10-year history. “I can’t believe we’ve never played here but for some reason we’ve always passed by it on the way to other cities,” vocalist and guitarist Jarek Hardy of the Johnstones said. “As Kingston-virgins, we’re looking forward to having our cherries popped.” The stop in Kingston is a part of the Johnstones’ Yellow Snow Tour 2, accompanied by punk bands like Ghetto Blaster, Mean Tangerine and Hello Beautiful. The band is currently recording their fifth album. It’s been two years since the Johnstones’ last full-length album, Can’t Be Trusted. “It’s definitely a lot of work getting back into the studio but we’re all so excited to work on new material,” he said. “The thing is you have to be in a totally focused state of mind so we can turn a random collection of songs into a cohesive album.”
B y C aitlin C hoi Assistant Arts Editor The Johnstones will go on the Yellow Snow Tour 2 by Mean Tangerine, Ghetto Blaster and Hello Beautiful.
The Johnstones are known for their outrageous antics, including blocking intersections to interview and subsequently moon drivers in traffic in 2010. This year the members were given a lifetime ban from Disney Land for running around the amusement park after hours.
weekly web-series featuring music videos, interviews and parodies. When asked about the decision to veer away from the typical music package, Hardy said having just videos, tours and albums isn’t enough. “Just fuck it, it’s boring, it’s monotonous,” he said. “We like having fun and talking to people We just like to have and we love our music.” Johnstones frontman Ryan a good time when we Long is the host of RogersTV’s new play and don’t really program Crown the Town, featuring care as long as playing his favourite places and things in and touring will Toronto. But the entire band is always stay fun. involved in the entire editing and production process. The band’s infectious energy — Jarek Hardy and don’t-give-a-crap attitude is Their prankster tendencies obvious on stage. Hardy said some have led to them exploring other bands get more conservative over performance outlets, like their time, but that can’t be said for YouTube channel Phat Bredrens, a the Johnstones.
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“[We’ve] gone the totally opposite direction and are just more and more ridiculous live every day,” he said. “We just like to have a good time when we play and don’t really care as long as playing and touring will always stay fun.” Thinking back on past performances, Hardy recalled several memorable outfits the band has worn — including matching plaid short-shorts and an unforgettable diaper ensemble. “My favourite would have to be the time we all borrowed my dad’s mechanic shirts that all said ‘Don’ on them, and that night we became The Donstones.” The Johnstones play the Mansion Friday at 9 p.m.
“I don’t know if he’s anticipating live demonstrations, but I always volunteer,” the guy beside me joked at Tzachi Zamir’s lecture on pornography and acting. Zamir, a leading scholar on moral philosophy and literature, spoke to a crowd of about 30 on Wednesday in Watson Hall, arguing that acting in pornographic films can be empowering. He explained why sex scenes in mainstream media may be at times more exploitative than actually having sex on film. A professor in the department of English and comparative literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, his latest research considers philosophical dimensions of acting and identity. With prompting questions like “Where’s the line between acting and doing?”— a vegetarian can’t justly eat a hamburger on camera and claim to never eat See Pondering on page 13
Arts
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Finding flow
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Alma Mater Society Non-Academic Discipline System: The AMS Non-Academic Discipline system is a discipline system that holds all members of the AMS responsible for violations of the Queen’s Code of Conduct, on and off campus.
Statistics At A Glance:
Total Number of cases since May 1st, 2011: 73 Number of cases dropped: 25 (Handled by Residence Life: 4) (Not an AMS member: 14) (Lack of evidence/no violation: 7)
Cameron Willis says he hasn’t decided on a DJ name yet. Continued from page 10
patrons will be able to donate to CFRC’s fundraising campaign. “They show you how to set up and give you an idea of what the equipment looks like. They also show you how to do the fading,” said Willis, who will be DJing at the Grad Club for the second time. Willis said that even though he doesn’t have an official DJ name, people have come up with ideas for him, like naming him after Todd Bridges’ character Willis Jackson. “There are joke DJ names floating around for me, like DJ Different Strokes,” he said, referring to the series that featured the catch phrase, “Whatchoo talkin’ bout Willis?” Willis only got involved with CFRC in October but has been a long-time fan of the station. “I used to listen to CFRC all the time, and I actually used to listen to Indie Wake Up Call,” he said. “It’s about finding an hour of music that you can get to flow together very
photo by Justin Chin
well — you have to get those transitions right because they’re very crucial.” He added that he got involved in the Friday DJ nights because he can interact with his audience. “They’re right there, so they can ask you what song you were just playing,” he said. Willis said the timing of the CFRC funding drive coincides with discussions surrounding the management restrictions of CFRC. Last week, the AMS Board of Directors tabled the discussion until March 6. “I’m glad they decided to table the issue at the last meeting, that should allow us to be able to figure out a better long term plan,” he said. “We were already focused and gearing up for the funding drive, so it’s an unfortunate series of events.” Friday’s DJ Nite will also include DJs from CFRC shows like This is Not the Ice Age and Below the Decks. CFRC DJ Nite runs Friday night from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Number of cases being investigated: 8 Number of cases settled: 40
Who Are The Complainants? Cases from Residence Life: 29 Cases from Student Constables: 12 Cases from Campus Security: 27 Cases from other sources (ex. Community members): 5
Nature Of Our Cases: Incidents involving alcohol misuse: 44 / Physical altercation: 8 Failure to comply with University regulations on alcohol use: 18 Trespassing: 10 / Vandalism: 11 Non-compliance with University official: 28 Infringing on the rights of University or community member: 25 Noise violation off-campus: 11 / Incomplete sanctions: 2
Arts
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Professor Tzachi Zamir from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave a lecture on pornography and acting in Watson Hall on Wednesday.
queensjournal.ca
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photos by CoRey lAblAns
Pondering pornographic performances Continued from page 11
meat — Zamir questions, for actors, whether having sex on camera is that much different than pretending to. Zamir spoke to the Journal via email, ahead of coming to Kingston. 1. Can you explain your argument? I will be attempting to answer questions such as whether pornographic performance constitutes acting — whether it should be understood, for example, as bad acting, as is often done. I shall then try to pinpoint the exact sense in which pornography does something to the performer. The interesting outcome of the analysis is that porn need not always be exploitative, and that some mainstream erotic acting (non-pornographic acting) can be deeply exploitative. I shall try to show how and why this can be the case. 2. What inspired you to explore this field? The study of pornography is part of a larger project on acting and theatricality, in which I look at the ways in which role-playing and identity are mutually constituted in interesting ways. One part of the project deals with acting on stage; the other examines self-theatricalization off the stage, the manner whereby we become what we play. In this (second) context I have published work on masochism, in which intimacy is created through role-playing, and have also written on eating disorders as performances — I believe that anorexia is often a prolonged, performed suicide. Porn is unique since in pornographic role-playing, performance and identity seem to be totally collapsing into each other: one performs sex, but is also having sex. Role-playing and being are merged into one. I began writing on porn because I wished to be clearer about the precise limits of role-playing. 3. What kind of research did this entail? Looking at the existing literature on porn, but more importantly, looking at what porn performers write about themselves. Without doubt, this is a problematic methodology to use, since only the better known (female) porn performers are commissioned to write about their experiences, so relying on such testimonials risks culling information from a distorted sample. I found nothing written by male performers or about the experience of gay porn performance.
Moreover, the actual “autobiographies” are often peppered with episodes that are themselves pornographic, so the projected reader is often assumed to be a porn consumer, rather than someone who is genuinely interested in the life of the performer. Nevertheless, some useful insights can be gained by reading such work. Because I distrust armchair philosophy, I did try to receive input from some porn performers about this work, but none responded. 4. What are people’s reactions when you discuss this subject? A man writing on porn is bound to be suspected of being prurient, or of underestimating the feminist argument against porn or of both. Moreover, when the research is funded by a governmental research fund as is the case with me, eyebrows are raised regarding a possible abuse of the tax-payer’s money. But once people begin thinking about porn patiently, they get a sense of the problems involved, which becomes even more acute once one realizes how large this industry is and how many individual performers it uses. Beyond the overlap with the questions raised by prostitution — for example, whether transacting in sex is some essential wrong — the problem with a blanket condemnation of porn surfaces when one attempts to account for strong pro-porn claims by some female performers without dismissing them through patronizing explanations. 5. How should people approach porn? Porn is usually a deeply exploitative practice — so no, I do not think that I underestimate the feminist argument against porn. In the talk, I attempt to pinpoint the precise dimension of harm to which performers are subjected, by unearthing the depth-structure of this form of performance. At the same time, the same depth-structure shows how porn can also be, under rare circumstances, empowering, liberating and self-validating. I attempt to explain that too in the talk. A third interesting dimension that is implied by this depth-structure relates to the dubious nature of much non-pornographic erotic acting, that we watch all the time and relate to as benign. It isn’t. 6. What has been the reaction of people in the porn industry to your work? Regrettably, none.
7. What message do you hope people will get out of your work? Apart from rethinking porn, I hope that people will pause the next time they watch actors in an erotic scene in non-pornographic work, such as is routinely shown in any HBO series. The process of unbridled explicitness when it comes to filmed sex in mainstream cinema, television and theatre in the past decades tends to be explained as a movement towards authenticity and greater realism. Dispute that, and you are
immediately tagged as a prude. I believe, however, that actors are deeply and unfairly exploited in a process that flatters them into exposure by playing on their commitment to total embodiment. I hope to de-automate this response, and to restructure it within an ethics of performance which may, given time and a refusal of defeatism, change how and what people perform. — With files from Alyssa Ashton
Arts
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Steps in cinema
Follow @QJarts on Twitter
Continued from page 10
and Andrew Pigett, ArtSci ’07, in New York City. “It was serendipitous,” he said. “Allie and Andrew were both exceptionally talented and it just fell into place.” The film’s director, Noam Kroll, worked with Christopher on the short film Unsound in 2011. Kroll graduated from the film and television program at Humber College in Toronto. Footsteps is also poised to capture the attention of audiences south of the border, Christopher said. The Canadian-based production was screened in Los Angeles last weekend and the next step, he said, is New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival in April. Shot last fall in Bowmanville, Ont. — on a budget of $500,000 — Footsteps is part of a new breed of relatively low-budget features that have taken advantage of improvements in video and digital technology. “It would have cost $2 million to make this film just five or six years ago,” Christopher said. But the modest feature film is a
Alumnus Rogan Christopher stars as Martin Tate in Footsteps.
testament to the current state of the film industry in Canada. “In Toronto, the industry is alive and well,” Christopher said. “We’re performing at a level that’s unprecedented and we’re getting better every year.” Still, he acknowledges there have been challenges. “I think it’s about looking at
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the negatives as setbacks rather than failures. You’ve got to make it happen,” he said. The athlete-turned-actor said he follows the wisdom of his athletic coaches back at Queen’s. “The number one thing my coaches preached was resiliency. And looking at obstacles as speed bumps, not road blocks,” he said.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
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qtv
Sports
Webcast deal reached QTV gets name on SSN volleyball stream B y B enjamin D eans Assistant Sports Editor
York Lions forward Katrina Tollis scores the game-winning goal on a penalty shot in the third period of game one on Wednesday.
photo by asad chishti
Women’s hockey
Comeback falls apart in game one Gaels erase three-goal deficit against York but lose on a penalty shot B y E mily L owe Staff Writer The women’s hockey team’s comeback was foiled by a third-period penalty shot on Wednesday night at the Memorial Centre. After falling behind 3-0 to the York Lions in game one of their first-round playoff series, the Gaels scored three unanswered goals and tied it up in the third period. But less than three minutes later, the Lions scored on a penalty shot to win 4-3 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. “She made a good move, my head wasn’t in it,” Gaels goalie Mel Dodd-Moher said. “I should’ve had it … that was the deciding factor.”
Inside men’s volleyball The Gaels prepare for an OUA quarter-final against Guelph on Saturday. Page 16
women’s volleyball The Gaels open the playoffs against the Brock Badgers at the ARC on Saturday. Page 16
Olympic hopefuls Three former Queen’s rowers go for London 2012. Page 17
Playoffs Follow @QJsports on Twitter and check queensjournal.ca over reading week for Gaels playoff updates.
The Lions opened the scoring five minutes into the first period on Wednesday night. Gaels head coach Matt Holmberg said it was deflating to fall behind so early in the game. “That was a tough goal,” he said. “The puck just sort of squeaked [in].” The Lions scored again before the break and added a third early in the second period. But the Gaels got a spark when Alana Smith scored four minutes later to make it 3-1. “The whole bench was really wound up [after Alana’s goal],” forward Brittany McHaffie said. “Once you get the first goal, it’s easier to get goals after that.” Brittany scored on the power play a minute later and her sister,
forward Morgan McHaffie, tied the game on an end-to-end rush half-way through the third period. Holmberg said the comeback occurred because his team stayed positive on the bench.
“
Once you get that first goal, it’s easier to get goals after that.
”
— Brittany McHaffie, women’s hockey forward But with just over 10 minutes left to play, Gaels defender Mary Coughlin hauled down Lions forward Katrina Tollis on a breakaway and a penalty shot was called. Tollis scored the winning goal on a backhand deke.
Late in the game, the Gaels held a five-on-three advantage for a minute and 15 seconds, but couldn’t score. “We were too stationary,” Brittany McHaffie said. “[On a] five-on-three, sometimes it’s almost like you feel you don’t have to skate — but you have to power through.” Game two takes place in Toronto on Friday. The Gaels have to win to avoid elimination and force game three in Kingston on Sunday. “I like the situation we’re in. Sometimes it’s easier being the underdogs,” Brittany said. “York might go in thinking they have the upper hand and might not have to work as hard.”
men’s hockey
Gaels come up short The men’s hockey team pushed the McGill Redmen to the limit on Wednesday night, but still fell 3-2 in Montreal. After losing to the OUA’s top-ranked team in game one of a best-of-three first-round series, they will play to save their season at the Memorial Centre on Friday night. “We’re looking forward to it,” goalie Riley Whitlock said after his 29-save performance. “There were a lot of positives from tonight, knowing you can match the top team.” The Gaels finished the regular season 18 points behind the Redmen, but they almost forced overtime during a last-minute power play on Wednesday. “There were some mad scrambles, but the puck just wouldn’t go in,” Whitlock said. “We were right there, we just couldn’t get the breaks tonight.” Gaels captain Jon Lawrance
opened the scoring in the first period, but McGill responded with two goals and led 2-1 after 20 minutes. “The first [Redmen goal] was a power-play shot that went through everybody,” Whitlock said. “The second one came from a good cycle play.” Although the Redmen went ahead 3-1 early in the second period, Queen’s forward Jordan Mirwaldt scored four minutes later. “I told them to play in five-minute increments tonight,” head coach Brett Gibson said. “It keeps them focused and it makes them think.” After Saturday’s 6-4 loss at home to Nipissing, Gibson told the Journal that his team “didn’t even want to win.” He said Wednesday’s game was a different story. “That’s what’s so frustrating about this team,” Gibson said. “When they want to, they can play with the best in this league.” Gibson said he’s figured out the
It’s kind of the “way I was hoping
things would start out to be.
”
— Bengt Neathery, SSN Canada president
QTV signed a $4,000 deal with Queen’s Athletics and Recreation in November to webcast 20 varsity home games this season, including the CIS championship. But Athletics found out in January that CIS is contractually obligated to use Ottawa-based Internet streaming company Sports Streaming Network Canada’s (SSN) website to stream championship play. “It’s kind of the way I was hoping things would start out to be,” SSN Canada president Bengt Neathery said. “We’re going to work together and pull off an awesome championship.” QTV executive producer Eugene Michasiw said he spoke to Neathery for the first time two weeks ago. Michasiw reached an informal agreement with Queen’s See Conference on page 19
Men’s hockey faces elimination after 3-2 loss to McGill in game one B y G ilbert C oyle Sports Editor
After almost a month of confusion, Queen’s TV has been given the go-ahead to produce webcasts for the upcoming national volleyball championship at Queen’s. The student-run media outlet will produce video for all 11 games at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s volleyball championship at the ARC March 2 to 4. But an Ottawa-based internet streaming company has exclusive rights to have the video on its website.
Redmen’s style after three losses to them this season. “They are what they are, they play the same system,” he said. “We did a good job of playing against them tonight, we should give ourselves credit.” Gibson said the Gaels won’t dwell on the loss for too
long — they’re playing a do-or-die game on Friday night. “You’ve got to have short-term memory loss in the best-of-three,” Gibson said. “We proved tonight we could play with them.” Game two of the first-round playoff series is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Memorial Centre on Friday.
supplied by Derek Drummond/McGill Athletics
Men’s hockey forward Patrick McEachen gets hit during McGill’s 3-2 win on Wednesday night in Montreal.
SPORTS
16 •queensjournal.ca
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012
men’s voLLeyBALL
Gaels open post-season at home Men’s volleyball to open OUA playoffs against Guelph in rematch of 2010 OUA final
photo by corey lAblAns
Middle Anthony Pitfield practices on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s QUA quarter-final against Guelph.
B y B Enjamin D Eans Assistant Sports Editor Saturday’s OUA quarter-final will be the Gaels’ first playoff game against the Guelph Gryphons since the 2010 OUA final at McMaster two seasons ago. In that game, the men’s volleyball team overcame a four-point deficit in the fifth set to claim the OUA gold medal. Team captain Niko Rukavina said he’s memorized the last three plays of that game by watching the YouTube video. The fifth-year will start at outside hitter against the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday at the ARC. “We’ve all just come together and realized that we’re not going to have any more second chances after this,” Rukavina said. The 2010 OUA championship
gave the Gaels a berth at the national championship in Kamloops, B.C., where they placed fifth. The Gaels have an automatic berth this year, since they’re hosting the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship March 2 to 4. Outside hitter Winston Rosser is the only member of the current Gryphons squad who played in the 2010 final. This season, he was fourth in the OUA with 3.8 points per set. Gaels outside hitter Joren Zeeman is one of eight Gaels from that game who’s still playing for Queen’s. He led the OUA in scoring this season with 4.5 points per set. Fifth-year Gaels Dan Rosenbaum and Bryan Fautley also played in the 2010 OUA final, but they’ve both missed this season
with injuries. Rukavina couldn’t jump for most of the season because of an injured ankle and he’s still recovering from the surgery he underwent on Dec. 23. He’ll need more surgery when the season ends, but he’s cleared to play in Saturday’s game. “I’ve been doing a lot of work in therapy ... to keep it as strong and able-to-go as I can,” he said. “It’s still a bit painful, but it’s definitely good.” Gryphons head coach Cal Wigston said his team was fortunate to play an injured Gaels roster in both of their regular-season games this year. The Gryphons beat the Gaels 3-0 in Guelph in November and 3-2 at the ARC in January. “We were playing really well at that time, all of us were healthy and we beat them,” he said. “This match will be totally different. Queen’s is pretty motivated to get back at it after we beat them twice.” The Gaels finished the season third in the OUA with a 12-6 record and earned their first top-10 national ranking this week. Despite having beaten the Gaels twice, the Gryphons finished sixth in the OUA with a 9-9 record. “Queen’s got hot at the right time and they won the matches that they needed to win,” Wigston said. The Gaels went 5-4 in their first nine games but were 7-2 in their last nine, winning their last five games in straight sets. The Gryphons went 6-3 to start the season, but finished at 3-6. Guelph setter Kevin Carey has missed five games with a concussion and the Gryphons went 1-4 without him. Wigston
Women’s voLLeyBALL
Women ready for playoff run Women’s volleyball set for home quarter-final against Brock B y a nanD s riVastaVa Staff Writer Women’s volleyball coach Joely Christian-Macfarlane got what she wanted — Queen’s will play the Brock Badgers in the first round of the OUA playoffs. “I didn’t want to give it away as to who I wanted to play,” she said, “but actually I really wanted to play Brock.”
right now it’s about “confidence. there’s nothing new we can learn. ” — Joely Christian-Macfarlane, women’s volleyball coach
The Gaels are riding a five-game winning streak into the playoffs while the Badgers have lost four of their past five games. Queen’s finished third-place in the OUA at 13-5 — 8-1 at home. Brock finished sixth with a 10-8 record See Three on page 19
The women’s volleyball team practices at the ARC on Wednesday afternoon.
photo by Justin chin
said Carey’s chances of being back for Saturday’s game aren’t great. “Queen’s is playing really well right now and ... we’re coming into this playoff in a slump,” Wigston said. “We really just hope that we’re healthy enough to give it everything we’ve got.” The Gryphons ended their regular season with losses to the York Lions and the Toronto Varsity Blues — both of whom finished with worse records than Guelph. “Their confidence can’t be at the same level as ours,” Gaels head coach Brenda Willis said. “The beginning of the match is going to be important. We can come out, have a really good presence and take control right away.” Willis said the Gaels have learned to focus on performance rather than outcome since the two regular-season losses to Guelph. The team worked with Peter Jensen,
a performance coach and Queen’s School of Business instructor, to prepare for the playoffs. “We used to make the last couple of points [of the set] a big deal,” Willis said. “Things changed in terms of aggression ... now we’re just playing to put a point on the board.” Willis said she knows what Guelph will try to do on Saturday. “The key to beating Guelph is managing [Rosser],” she said. “It’s like other teams trying to manage [Zeeman].” Willis said she’s confident about the weekend. “You have to go into a match thinking you’re going to win … and win authoritatively.” Saturday’s quarter-final is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the ARC. If the Gaels win, they’ll travel to Western for the OUA final four Feb. 24 to 25.
SPORTS
Thursday, February 16, 2012
RoWInG
London in sight Three former Gaels train in Victoria with hopes of making the Summer Olympics B y G ilBErt C oylE Sports Editor Former Queen’s rower Rares Crisan works out three times a day at Rowing Canada’s national training centre in Victoria, B.C. He starts at 7:30 a.m. He stops to eat breakfast two hours later, then he’s back on the water by 11 a.m. In the afternoon, he returns to the complex to lift weights. “Your brain starts to slow down,” he said. “It’s harder to function and connect cognitive tasks because the energy just isn’t there and the fatigue is so compounding. “You just try to not die until the next morning.” Crisan, who’s been rowing full-time in Victoria since February 2010, is currently vying for a spot at the London 2012 Olympics. He’s one of three former Queen’s rowers at the training centre — Morgan Jarvis, Artsci ’05, MSc ’08, JD ’10, is looking to make the lightweight double while Mike Wilkinson, Artsci ’08 and Sci’08, can qualify either for the heavyweight double or the heavyweight four. Jarvis and Wilkinson are competing for spots in boats that have already secured Olympic berths. But if Crisan, Artsci ’09, earns a seat in the lightweight four-man boat, he still needs to get past Olympic qualification in Lucerne, Switzerland from May 20 to 23. “The boat won’t be decided until the middle of March,” Crisan said. “Our big target is the qualification in Lucerne where the top two qualify for London.” Crisan said he’s still unsure how the
coaching staff will select the lightweight four-man boat. “What I’m assuming is that there will be a two-week long observational period, where you just move guys around the boats and see which combinations go the fastest,” he said. “Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily become who’s the strongest, but which group of guys work together.” The rowing team trains as a group every day, meaning Crisan’s workout partners are also his direct competitors.
It’s harder to function “and connect cognitive tasks
because the energy just isn’t there and the fatigue is so compounding.
”
— Rares Crisan, former Queen’s rower
“It can get really cutthroat,” he said. “Your teammates can be bigger enemies than your international competition.” In November 2010, Crisan won a bronze medal in the lightweight men’s pair at the world championships in New Zealand — he picked up a silver medal in the same competition a year later in Slovenia. Although he hopes those performances will be considered in the selection process, he said current form matters most. “I always like to rest on the fact that I’ve had good results in the past two years,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it only matters if I’m on for selection.” See The fatigue on page 18
queensjournal.ca
• 17
SPORTS
18 •queensjournal.ca
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012
‘The fatigue is so compounding’ Continued from page 17
The sheer amount of training hours remaining before selections means rowers can’t treat every session like a tryout. Crisan said he’s learned to row at his body’s capabilities instead of over-doing it, but it took a long time to find that balance. “For the first four or five months, it was just a black hole,” he said. “You’d wake up exhausted, your head’s all foggy, you can barely keep your eyes open, and you go and repeat that. “Getting through that is a real perseverance,” he said. “That’s what really makes some of the athletes out here.” Crisan started at Queen’s in 2005 — rowing head coach John Armitage said Crisan didn’t make the Gaels’ varsity boat as a first-year and had to row in a junior varsity four-man boat instead. But one year later, he had improved enough to be a shoo-in for a varsity seat. “Rares’ drive and desire set him apart,” Armitage said. “In the winters, in the dungeons of the Physical Education Centre, he’d have a puddle of sweat beneath him after every workout.” Wilkinson, Crisan’s roommate in Victoria, never had any trouble making the varsity boats — he rowed in the heavyweight eight and the heavyweight four for four years while pursuing a dual degree program at the same time. “[Wilkinson] was a different bird,” Armitage said. “He would only train once a day instead of twice because of school … but he would go away in the summer and surprise us all by making Canada’s under-23 team.” At November’s world championships in Slovenia, Wilkinson and Fraser Berkhout qualified the heavyweight men’s double boat for the Olympics. But even though Wilkinson’s a frontrunner to secure a spot in that boat, he’s also a contender for the heavyweight four-man group. Although Crisan and Wilkinson both had exceptional rowing careers in Kingston, Armitage said Jarvis was one of the most exceptional talents he’s ever
Queen’s Disability Awareness Month February 26th - March 4th o InvisAbilities' "Invisible Disability Awareness Week" March 1st, 6th, 22nd and 29th o Reading from ABLE @ Freedom to Read Week o Stauffer Speaker’s corner, 2-4PM March 4th o InvisAbilities' guest speaking event "You Don't Look Sick!" o Wallace Hall, 3PM March 5th & 6th o Information Fair o Biosciences Atrium, from 9-4PM both days March 8th o Presentation by the Canadian Hearing Society o Bioscience 1103, from 2:30-4:30PM March 20th o Movie Night “Temple Grandin” o Robert Sutherland Room 202, from 5-8PM March 22nd o Able Launch Party - for Volumes 1 & 2 o 130 Johnson Street, Public Library at the Wilson Room 6 - 9PM March 28th o Town Hall of a discussion on accessibility and inclusion at Queen’s o Robert Sutherland Room 202, 2-4PM March 31st o Red Apple Gala o Kingston Banquet and Conference Center, 5PM
supplied by rAmi mAAssArAni
Morgan Jarvis rowed at Queen’s for nine years and is currently in contention for a spot at the London Olympics.
coached at Queen’s. Jarvis, who earned three degrees from the University, spent nine years rowing for the Gaels. “Morgan’s a natural racer,” Armitage said. “If you’re behind near the end of a race, Morgan’s the guy you want in the boat.” When Jarvis graduated from law school in 2010, he expected to stop rowing and take up an articling position at Gowlings, an Ottawa-based law firm. But soon after he started at work in May 2010, the firm told Jarvis he could take some time off to make an Olympic push. “When I told them I wasn’t
rowing anymore, they said ‘go do the Olympics,’” Jarvis said. “They said they could hold off my articling spot for two years.” Jarvis left for Victoria in May 2010 and has been there ever since. He won a national gold medal in the lightweight men’s single in 2011 and is currently the frontrunner to earn a spot in the light men’s double boat that is already guaranteed a spot in London. “I just have to hold my position,” he said. “You’re counting down the days for the Olympics with every row.”
Former Gael Rares Crisan (left) celebrates his bronze medal in the lightweight men’s pair at the 2010 World Cup in New Zealand.
supplied
QUESTIONS/ACCOMODATION Contact Stephanie Cork @ Queens DisabilityAwarenessMonth@gmail.com
SPORTS
Thursday, February 16, 2012
queensjournal.ca
• 19
Conference call settles plans Continued from page 15
Athletics officials last week, settling the final terms during the Monday conference call that included
this is the first time “students have had a leadership role in producing a CIS broadcast.
”
— Eugene Michasiw, QTV executive producer
Neathery, Athletics marketing manager Lana Unsworth, Athletics marketing assistant Nick Sirski and CIS communications manager Michel Belanger. “It’s exciting. It could turn out to be one of the really good webcasts of the CIS championships,”
Belanger said. Michasiw said everyone wanted QTV to produce the webcast, but that he wanted QTV to get credit. “The broadcast will be branded as a QTV broadcast,” Michasiw said. “We’re really excited ... it definitely wasn’t easy to get to this point.” Michasiw said SSN usually webcasts at a 240-pixel resolution, but that QTV will probably webcast games at 360 pixels. “We can do a far superior job in terms of offering instant replay and onscreen graphics packages with scores and everything ... that SSN just can’t do with their own basic system,” he said. “The score bar will be branded as a QTV score bar, the little transparent QTV logo will be there on all the broadcasts.” Michasiw said he expects 20,000 to 30,000 viewers to tune
in for CIS webcasts, much higher than the 200 to 300 viewers that tune into the average QTV webcast. “To my knowledge, this is the first time students have had a leadership role in producing a CIS broadcast,” he said. “We’re really excited about the entire partnership and to see it grow next year.” Athletics marketing manager Lana Unsworth declined an interview with the Journal, but released a statement via email. “We are pleased with the direction we are heading with regard to webcasting for the CIS Men’s Volleyball Championship. All parties are working together to provide the best possible webcasting production and we look forward to the final product,” the statement read.
Three wins from OUA title Billings is averaging 3.4 points game as an opportunity to extend per set this season. She said the their Queen’s careers for at least Gaels have been working on a one more game. and was 5-4 on the road. “Joely’s been referring to us as The Gaels beat the Badgers 3-2 strategic addition to their offence diamonds and I think that’s shown when they met in St. Catharines on in practice this week. “We’ve been running stuff that in the last couple games,” Billings Nov. 12. Heading into the playoffs, people haven’t seen from us before,” said. “The urge to perform at our Christian-Macfarlane said her team she said. “Hopefully [we’re] getting best will lead to the outcome we’re an edge up on Brock.” looking for.” knows what it has to do to win. Billings said she and fellow The Gaels and the Badgers “Right now it’s about confidence,” she said. “There’s nothing new that graduating outside hitter Natalie kick off at 2 p.m. at the ARC on Gray are approaching Saturday’s Saturday afternoon. we can learn.” Before the season, Christian-Macfarlane said her team’s goal was simply to compete on a nightly basis — the Gaels’ third-place finish was better than expected. Christian-Macfarlane said the goal remains the same going into Saturday against Brock. “I don’t want our focus to be on [anything] else,” she said. “I want the focus to continue to be that we keep competing … just as we competed in every [regular-season] match.” Fourth-year outside hitter Becky Billings said it’s an added benefit to play at the ARC, where the Gaels have only lost three times since moving into the building in January 2010. “I’m really excited to just play anyone in our own gym,” she said. “I’ve never been so confident in The women’s volleyball team hosts the Brock Badgers in photo by Justin chin a team.” an OUA quarter-final on Saturday afternoon. Continued from page 16
BIG GAMES tHIS WEEKEND Men’s hockey plays McGill
Volleyball teams start playoffs
The men’s hockey team host the McGill Redmen for game two of a first-round playoff series at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at the Memorial Centre. If the Gaels win, game three takes place in Montreal on Sunday.
Women’s volleyball hosts the Brock Badgers in an OUA The men’s and women’s quarter-final at 4 p.m. on basketball teams hit the road Saturday at the ARC. to play the York Lions on The third-place men’s Friday night and the Laurentian volleyball team takes on the Voyageurs on Saturday night. sixth-ranked Guelph Gryphons The women have already in an OUA quarter-final at 7 p.m. clinched a playoff spot and on Saturday at the ARC. are aiming for first-round Both the men and the women home-court advantage. are aiming to advance to the The men need to win both OUA final four on Feb. 24. The games to have a shot at the sixth women would travel to Toronto and final playoff spot in the while the men go to London. OUA East.
Women’s hockey takes on York The women’s hockey team heads to York for game two of the first round on Friday night with hopes of sweeping the series. If the Gaels win, game three is set for 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Memorial Centre.
Basketball teams regular seasons
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20 •queensjournal.ca
Thursday, February 16, 2012
postscript
GRAPHIC BY JUSTIN CHIN
The Artist is billed as the film to beat this Oscar season, but a Queen’s film professor says silent films aren’t making a comeback anytime soon.
film
Sound of silence
Film-making professor says he used to watch his movies with the sound off during the editing process B y J essica F ishbein Postscript Editor Contrary to what you might think, dialogue isn’t an integral part of the movie experience. According to professor Clarke Mackey, spoken word isn’t an essential. “The power of films come from visuals and music and not dialogue,” he said. “Dialogue in most films is pretty basic.” Mackey has directed episodes of the 1980s TV series Degrassi: Junior High and produced the 1971 feature film The Only Thing You Know. He teaches in the stage and screen studies, a special field concentration combining courses from drama, film and media. He said a common misconception among movie-goers is that a film screenplay just includes dialogue, Mackey said. “In script you have to get down actions and visuals, and what people actually say to each other is
lines — generally speaking acting a secondary thing,” he said. “I’ve gone so far as a filmmaker is understated.” While many silent films used to watch my film completely silent when I’m editing it to see how to rely on exaggeration, that’s well it communicates,” he said. not necessarily the case anymore, “There’s always a place for films Mackey said. “It’s true — in silent film initially with sparse dialogue, but films with no dialogue at all can be hard for there was a lot of exaggeration. But as a medium it’s developed an audience to take.” Aside from stage and screen, and changed,” he said. “That’s Mackey also teaches film courses, what’s so interesting about The including FILM 365, narrative Artist. It relies on a more modern filmmaking and practice. kind of acting, where people are Mackey said film courses understating what they’re doing.” naturally incorporate the study of The Artist, starring Jean silent films — students can learn Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, is from the history of silent film. nominated for 10 Oscars this year. In Stage and Screen 300, Mackey credits it as a sophisticated students were asked to create a silent film. “I thought it was brilliant. I will silent film script, Mackey said. “They initially complained, but be using it next year in [FILM 365] they learned a lot,” he said. “What’s and will get students to analyze happening with your face and how it,” he said. “It says so much about your body moves, that’s where the how movies communicate.” According to another film film acting comes through. “That’s a difference in stage and professor, silent films won’t screen — on stage what people re-emerge in popular culture say is very important. On screen anytime soon. it’s how people react. It’s not “I taught silent films at Queen’s so much how an actor says the 35 years ago, when I first came
Silent films in Kingston Live musical accompaniment and the sound of a projector ticking in the background are just part of the experience. “We showcase silent films true to their original form,” said Alison Migneault, director of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. “It’s an experience that can’t be replicated … this makes it intriguing and interesting for our audience,” she said. On March 4, students and Kingston residents can see a screening of Back to God’s Country at the Grand Theatre.
The event is part of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival which runs from March 1 to 4. Migneault said the festival is screening a silent film due to the success of Carry on Sergeant! in 2010. “It was a packed house and received rave reviews,” she said of the silent film. “Originally we selected the film because it had interesting connections to the local community,” Migneault said. “It was produced in Trenton and partially filmed in Kingston and
played at the Grand Theatre in 1928.” Showing a silent film educates an audience about both silent and Canadian film histories, she said. “Bringing it back to life, so to speak, was a dynamic way to … present an archival film that our audience likely didn’t know about,” she said. “It also allowed us to educate our audience about Canadian film history, which we did through an exhibit about the film’s production.” Back to God’s Country was one of the most successful
quoted “Say you’re on an airplane, and they’re showing a movie and you don’t get earphones. If you watch it, you can still figure out what’s going on.” — Clarke Mackey,
stage and screen professor
here,” film professor Peter Baxter appealing, though. “What happened in the last 10 said. “Since then, hardly at all.” Baxter said he wants to years is many silent films have been reincorporate silent film into the released on DVD, with wonderful curriculum. He teaches FILM 216, music and cleaned up images,” he said. “So silent films are now historical inquiry into film. This year though, the class available for the first time in nearly focuses on the historical era of 80 years in the condition they were silent films, Baxter said, adding seen in the 1930s.” It’s a paradoxical that advanced that it’s the first course to do this. “We could’ve concentrated on technology makes silent films more anything, but chose silent films watchable, he said. “Looking at silent films now is because the [silent era] was an a whole new ball game,” he said. interesting era in itself.” The silent era encompasses film “When I was a student they were from 1894 to 1929, with Charlie watched completely silent with a Chaplin as the period’s most scratchy speed … it was a trial to sit through. But modern versions iconic actor. But with the release of the first can be very engaging.” Even in movies with dialogue, major talking film The Jazz Singer in 1927, silent films had virtually silent film techniques are often used. disappeared by 1930, Baxter said. Today’s technological advances “There are always long have made silent films more sequences which are basically silent — they depend on action, reaction, movement, expression and not vocal reaction.” Silent films attract a specialized audience, Baxter said. Canadian films of the silent “I think much art and culture of the past is of interest to small period, Migneault said. numbers of people. It’s not as if It was released in 1919 and silent films were a struggling genre tells the story of a young woman in the movies — it’s quite the who comes face to face with her opposite,” he said. “There’s a small, father’s killer. Canadian silent film specifically interested audience star Nell Shipman wrote and stars who go looking for it.” in the film. Though silent films have a loyal “I am personally fascinated by fan base, they won’t necessarily attract mainstream attention in the Nell Shipman,” Migneault said. long run, Baxter said. “She was the topic of my Master’s “It’s not going to become a part thesis, so naturally I thought of this of bigger film culture,” he said. particular film when we began to “I’d be deeply surprised if silent think about staging another silent films made a comeback.” film screening.”