PAGE 3
Feature: Global warming affects Kingston squirrels F R I D AY , N O V E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 3 — I S S U E 2 1
THE JOURNAL QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY — SINCE 1873
University District to be recognized? Commission takes new concept for off-campus living area to City
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
B Y VINCENT B EN M ATAK News Editor
failure to rename the Student Ghetto as the Student Village, was brought to discussion at City Hall on Wednesday, initiated by The AMS Municipal Affairs Commission is the City’s Near Campus Neighbourhood attempting to make the University District Advisory Committee. official by having the name passed at City The AMS has referred to the Student Council later this year. Ghetto area as the University District since The concept of the University District, 2012, although the area and name have yet which was created in 2012 following 2011’s to be officially recognized by the City. Input
gathered from Wednesday’s meeting will be considered at the Dec. 4 City meeting, after which it will brought to City Council. “We found that ‘Student Village’ didn’t catch on,” Catherine Wright, AMS municipal affairs commissioner, said. “We will straight up admit to that.” The discussion followed a proposal to the City put forward by the Municipal Affairs
Commission in September. The proposal called for the establishment of boundaries for the neighbourhood, and the implementation of street signs that say “University District”. The report proposes that the University District boundaries lie between Princess St. to the north, King St. to the south, Collingwood St. to the west and Barrie St. to See Ghetto on page 9
One win short PAGE 19 Queen’s falls to .
Western in Yates Cup final
.
.
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
ALUMNI
University seeks innovation grant
Inside this issue:
A $70 million government grant could see a refocus in programs offered B Y S EBASTIAN L ECK Assistant News Editor The University is applying to receive a portion of a $70 million innovation grant being handed out to universities across Ontario, which, if received, will help Queen’s increase its focus on entrepreneurship. The funding, named the Productivity and Innovation Fund, is intended to go towards entrepreneurial programs, such as the Queen’s Summer Innovation Institute
and the Queen’s Innovation Connector. The submission for the funds was drafted by the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research) with input from the AMS. According to Gyula Kovacs, the Senior Media Relations Coordinator for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the fund is meant to increase collaboration between institutions while reducing costs. “The fund is part of the government’s commitment to transform Ontario’s higher education system to promote specialization
and innovation,” he told the Journal via email. The Ministry will be making an announcement with more details about the initiative in the coming weeks, he said. Allison Williams, the AMS academic affairs commissioner, was one of the editors of the University’s submission for the innovation funds. “What I focused on was ensuring that everything that students were doing and
pages 12 & 13
See Innovation on page 9
PAGE 24
Small businesses stay social
Sports
An in focus look at this season in sports
Arts
Profiling a student fashion designer PHOTO BY JESSICA CHONG
page 16
NEWS
2 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
AMS
TAPS looks to boost club’s popularity The AMS will release a market research survey for the rebranded club, which is facing projected deficit B Y A BBY A NDREW Journal Staff
O LIVIA B OWDEN
via email. The club hasn’t hit capacity on Wednesdays for a while, which was a popular With the Underground facing mounting night before the rebrand, she said. financial pressures, students have a mixed “We have strategies in place to make opinion on the rebranded nightclub. changes for next semester,” she said. At last week’s AMS Assembly, Nicola The AMS communications office Plummer, AMS vice-president of operations, said they wouldn’t go into detail about said TAPS thought the Underground would any tangible plans for The Underground be doing much better. next semester. “We are cognizant that student interest A survey will be handed out to students has been lower recently with respect to to garner their feedback, and final The Underground,” she told the Journal decisions and plans for the future won’t AND
The Underground, formerly Alfie’s, has seen lower student interest recently.
be made until the results are available, Plummer confirmed. “The deficits will have a negligible effect on The Underground in the long run,” she said. Jonathan McGuire, ArtSci ’14, said
Although it wouldn’t specify, the AMS says it has plans to make changes for the Undergruond next semester.
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
that he’s not attended the club since the rebrand. “I didn’t think … [the rebrand] would increase the amount of people … [who attend],” he said. McGuire said the name change was the only noticeable restructure of the venue. “If they have been trying to generate publicity for themselves they have done a lacklustre job,” he said. Downtown clubs are more appealing and seem to generate higher numbers of attendance, he added. “A lot of varsity clubs are more inclined to do a partnership with Ale or Stages for an event,” he said. Kylee Pederson, ArtSci ’15, said that she’s only attended The Underground to see rapper Dylan Joel and DJ Otis Grey perform live in September. “It was really fun because I was with my friends and we watched a live performer and wine was cheap,” she said. While The Underground promotes Wednesday nights, Pederson said that those nights are when she likes to stay in. “What I experienced when I went there, it was fine. I enjoyed it,” she said. Eric Koskins, ArtSci ’15, also went to The Underground for the Joel and Grey concert. He said that he enjoyed his time at The Underground that night. “It was an enjoyable time with the people I knew there, and the whole concert setting,” Koskins said. However, he said he’s not revisited the club since. “There’s more people going to [the Hub]. If all your friends are going to the Hub you might as well follow them,” Koskins said. The pool tables are what drew many students to Alfie’s, he added. “[Alfie’s] offered something a bit unique in the sense that it had pool tables,” he said. “Right now [The Underground] just blends in with other places in the Hub.” Koskins said the revamp of the club may not have worked in the way that was expected. However, a student-run club is important to the Queen’s community, he added. “I would hope they stay open,” Kiskins said. “There is QP but it’s nice to have a student-run club.” “I’d be sad to see [the Underground] go.”
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
FEATURE
PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE GANGIER
ENVIRONMENT
A changing atmosphere
Global warming’s impact can be seen locally, right here in Kingston B Y D AVID H ADWEN Editorials Editor Climate change is happening, and is likely to impact Kingston’s animal population — including the famed Kingston squirrel. According to Queen’s geography professor Warren Mabee, the local squirrel population may increase and become more aggressive as temperatures warm. “We’re going to get more aggressive squirrels because the cold winters won’t be there to keep the numbers down,” Mabee said. Kingston won’t just see more squirrels: we’re likely to see an increased presence of larger animals, like coyotes and deer, as the climate warms. This is because changes in climate are more favourable to animals that are higher up on the food chain. “The higher up on the food chain you are, the more options you have in terms of what you can eat,” he said. What’s now beyond the shadow of a doubt is that burning fossil fuels is causing climate change. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that it’s “extremely likely” that human influence has been the dominant cause of warming over the past 60 years. Canada as a whole has been warming significantly faster than the global average for decades — on average, its warmed 3.2 degrees Celsius since the mid-20th century. In Ontario, there’s been an increase of up to 1.4 degrees Celsius in average temperatures since 1948. Though climate change may seem an abstract idea, numerous effects of this phenomenon can be seen in the local environment. Kingston’s winters have
•3
warmed faster than any other season, according to associates of Risk Science International. According to a 2012 study by researchers at McGill and Concordia universities, higher winter temperatures might mean an end to natural ice hockey. “If you draw a straight line into the future you get zero rink-flooding days by mid-century which implies that at some point in that period you can’t build a rink because it is not getting cold enough,” according to Damon Matthews of Concordia, in The Guardian.
going to “getWe’re more aggressive
squirrels because the cold winters won’t be there to keep the numbers down.
”
— Warren Mabee Queen’s geography professor
Yet in a global context, Kingston will be better off under climate change than almost anywhere else, Mabee said. Since the city is unlikely to be incorporated into any large urban centres, it will probably be a “provider” rather than a “taker” in the global economy of food, water and energy provision. Canada as a whole will be a target for climate refugees, according to Mabee, and Kingston is likely to see a large influx of migrants looking for preferable conditions. While these changes would take place under great stress, Mabee said these newcomers mean “great minds, great thoughts and great cultures might be
brought into the Kingston mix.” As far as local political changes, Mabee said that local grassroots organizations concerned with sustainability could come to be bigger political players as climate change progresses. According to City of Kingston Sustainable Initiatives Coordinator Daniel Shipp, the City is making changes to react to climate change and mitigate its effects, such as retrofitting buildings, creating express bus routes, investing in green energy production and has introduced LED street lights. More long-term initiatives include a community action plan to reduce energy use in Kingston. While local efforts may be steps in the right direction, climate change is a decidedly global problem. According to Mabee, a bottom-up approach is needed, emphasizing agreements between local jurisdictions. “Conferences are great for setting big goals, but they are not good at setting the means and mechanisms for achieving them,” he said. Mabee also mentioned another atypical addition to Kingston’s ecosystem caused by the earth’s warming temperature: a greater presence of pests like the emerald ash borer, an insect he says “historically would not have had a habitat here.” Unfortunately, this species now threatens local trees. Other curious changes to Kingston’s ecosystem can be seen due to global warming. The local area has already seen a significant increase in its deer tick population due to warming temperatures. Deer ticks are a significant public health issue as they carry
Lyme disease. Officially, Kingston is now an “endemic” area for Lyme disease according to Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health. Then, there are Kingston’s countless “mayflies”. The correct term for these insects is midges. Research from Queen’s Professor of biology William Nelson, indicates that Kingston can likely foresee an increase in the midge population, as climate change continues to impact the local environment.
Great minds, great “thoughts and great cultures might be brought into the Kingston mix.
”
— Warren Mabee
Nelson’s research indicates that higher temperatures result in greater insect populations. As a result, the huge clouds of midges that Queen’s students confront on campus may get even larger over time. W h i l e h u m a n s debate how much to invest in climate c h a n g e
adaption, animal behaviour is changing as an ongoing reaction to the changes in the environment. “We see more individuals of some species, fewer individuals of other species, and some entirely new species appearing in Kingston and the region,” said Queen’s biology professor Fran Bonier said. “In general, species ranges are shifting northward.” Bonier said the changes in temperature result in mistimed natural events, including the premature flowering of plants, premature metamorphosis of insects and early breeding for birds. “These shifts in seasonal timing can be problematic for some species,” she said. “For example, insects might be more sensitive to shifts in temperature — as ectotherms, they can speed their development and metabolism more in response to those changes than an endotherm can.” According to Bonier, this results in the disruption of expected patterns. “For warm-blooded animals that rely on insects for food, and timed breeding to coincide with food availability, this can create mismatches,” she said. “Birds might hatch their eggs at a particular time in the season that used to be a time of peak insect availability, but no longer is because of the insects’ response to climate change.”
News
4 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
omb
Realignment appeal successful Ontario Municipal Board decision released last Friday orders City to include students in its population count B y A lison S houldice Editor in Chief The AMS, the Sydenham District Association (SDA) and law student Kevin Wiener have successfully appealed City Council’s electoral
boundary realignment bylaw. In a decision dated Nov. 6, the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) ruled that City Council “acted unreasonably” in adopting the realignment structure that it did. On April 23, City Council passed its
supplied
The City’s decision to alter its electoral would dissolve Sydenham District into Williamsville District.
STUDENT SPECIALS
EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOU! 1 Large 2-Topping Pizza
1 Medium 3-Topping Pizza
2 Orders of Cheesy Bread
1 Small 1-Topping Pizza & an order of Twisty Bread
9
$ 99
9
9
$ 99
9
$ 99
$ 99
One 2 L Coca Cola® & 2 orders of Cinna Stix®
Two 591ml Coca Cola® products, an order of Twisty Bread & an order of Cheesy Bread
9
$ 99
“We were feeling pretty good, cautiously proposed “Option 1” with a 7-6 vote. This option didn’t include students in its optimistic after the hearing took place,” said population count and would eliminate Berkok, who acted as a witness in the case. “[But] we didn’t want to get ahead Sydenham District, meaning that students would be represented by three city councillors of ourselves.” Instead of perpetuating negative instead of the current four. The AMS, the SDA and Wiener all town-gown relations, Berkok said he filed separate appeals in June, arguing believes the group effort by students and that the realignment would provide less neighbourhood residents helped bring the representation for students. The SGPS was two, often distant, groups together. “Really everyone came together on this also involved, acting as a participant to the one,” he said. AMS appeal. At the hearing, the City noted that no This week’s OMB decision ruled in favour of “Preferred Revised Option 4” replacing other municipality with post-secondary “Option 1”, meaning that Sydenham District education institutions includes students in will be preserved and students will be their population counts, but Sutherland wrote that the Board didn’t view this as a included in the total population tally. The Board found there were clear valid argument. “Because something has not been done, and compelling reasons to interfere with doesn’t mean it should not be done,” Council’s choice to adopt “Option 1”. The decision notes that though students Sutherland wrote in the decision. Berkok is aware of student groups at may be temporary residents, they contribute to the community and have issues to bring to other post-secondary institutions that have been closely monitoring the AMS appeal, but municipal government. “The elected representative is not simply said he can’t speak to whether they’ll take the representative of those who voted, or any action in their respective municipalities. The City of Kingston released a statement those who voted for him or her, but of all the Friday afternoon, noting that this decision residents of his or her ward,” it reads. AMS President Eril Berkok said he was will “influence all municipalities with colleges notified of the decision Friday, when the and universities.” “The City of Kingston respects Member Chair of the SDA sent it to him by email. “I think [the successful appeal] came Sutherland’s decision and will now finalize down to cooperation and a sincere belief in the new electoral district boundaries for the 2014 municipal election and move forward effective student reperesentation,” he said. “[This] means that we’ll be considered the with the planning and administration of the same as any other citizen of Kingston — no election,” the statement said. “The work of City staff in preparing the more, no less.” “We’re now counted in the electoral various reports and boundary configuration options should be commended as should the boundary drawing.” As of Friday afternoon, Berkok hadn’t yet dedication of the participants involved in the spoken to Mayor Mark Gerretsen or anyone OMB appeal process.” Kingston Mayor Mark Gerretsen didn’t from the City. The hearing, which took place the respond to interview requests from the week of Oct. 21, had parties presenting Journal on the matter. their arguments in front of OMB member Sylvia Sutherland.
9
$ 99
KINGSTON
(613) 548-3730 493 Princess St. All offers expire April 30, 2014. Debit surcharge may apply.
*Double portions, premium toppings and extra cheese are subject to an additional charge. Coupons are not valid with other offers. Copyright Domino’s Pizza of Canada Ltd. “Coca-Cola” and the Wave Design are registered trademarks of Coca-Cola Ltd., used under license. “Sprite” is a registered trademark of Coca-Cola Ltd. “Diet Coke” is suitable for carbohydrate/calorie-reduced diets. Products may not be exactly as shown. Limited delivery area. Delivery charges may apply. Drivers carry less than $20. Prices subject to change without notice. Applicable taxes not included in advertised prices. ®Trade-Mark of Interac Inc. TD Canada Trust authorized user of the Trade-Mark or Trade-Mark of Interac Inc. Used under license. ** According to the most recent assessment of scientific data, foods containing gluten at levels not exceeding 20 PPM would not pose a health risk to the vast majority of individuals with Celiac Disease or to individuals with gluten sensitivity. The level of gluten found in our pizza made with a Gluten Free Crust is below 20 PPM. Offers expire April 30, 2014. Prices subject to change.
The Ontario Municipal Board ruled in favour of the appeal brought forward against the City, following a five-day hearing at City Hall.
Journal file photo
Follow us on Twitter:
@QJnews
News
Friday, November 15, 2013
queensjournal.ca
•5
media
John Stackhouse addresses military Stackhouse, Editor in Chief of the Globe and Mail, spoke to Royal Military College about war and media in history B y S ebastian L eck Assistant News Editor Globe and Mail Editor in Chief and Queen’s alumnus John Stackhouse visited the Royal Military College on Wednesday night, delivering a talk on the relationship between the military and the media. Stackhouse spoke on how the two can affect each other, and historical tensions between the two groups. “We have a rather testy relationship, but an essential relationship,” he said. The talk, titled “Media and Democracy in a Digital Age”, was held in Currie Hall at the RMC, and was attended by approximately 50 people, most of which were RMC students and staff. The public event was sponsored by the Queen’s Department of Political Science, which worked with the RMC to organize the event. The role of journalism in a democracy, Stackhouse said, is to “test” information and ideas, so the public has a bias-free source of information. This requires gathering as much information as possible, and then editing, or “curating” it, to make it easy to read, he noted. Stackhouse told the audience that the nature of journalism has changed enormously throughout the last century, particularly after 9/11. “One hundred years ago, the media was parochial,” he said. “There was little of what we now call war correspondence.” During the First and Second World Wars, he said, few people in Canadian society knew what was happening on the front, and they rarely heard about military failures. “Nothing that could embarrass the military got published,” Stackhouse said. This changed during the Korean War, and especially during the Vietnam War, he said, when broadcast journalism became prevalent and newscasters became more aggressive in reporting from war zones — showing a different, less favourable, side of war than past decades. “The term ‘unwinnable war’ became a popular phrase,” he said. Tensions ran high between the media and the military, he said, during the 1970s and the 80s, until peacemaking operations began in the 90s.
A surprising development during the 90s and 2000s, according to Stackhouse, was the targeting of journalists by enemy forces. Journalists began to regularly move with military forces for safety — known as “embedding” into a military group — rather than covering war zones individually. “Embedding became the norm,” he said. Technology also changed the nature of journalism, he said, since readers could be updated in real-time on recent developments. It meant the media could influence actions on the ground as well as public sentiment in Canada, Stackhouse said. He recalled covering the war in Afghanistan, when a fellow journalist updated a map of a forces on a battleground in real time. Nearby soldiers began yelling corrections, he said, when they noticed inaccuracies on their John Stackhouse delivering his talk on Wednesday night. own newsfeeds. “We learned later that the Taliban was receiving [and reading the] battle updates,” he said. Stackhouse described three areas where the media is vital for keeping the military in check: awareness, accountability and context. Awareness, he noted, means keeping the public aware of battlefield realities. “Too much information coming out of Afghanistan was one-sided,” he said. According to Stackhouse, Canadian generals predicted that victory was “just around the bend” every year, despite evidence that violence was actually increasing. Keeping the military accountable may be painful, but it’s required if the military is to represent the public interest, he said. “Lack of accountability is terrible not only for society but also any military,” he said. However, he added, the media kept certain information private if it had the potential to damage national security. “We are not agnostic to the security and safety of our country,” he said. Seeing the context behind military operations is also essential, Stackhouse said. He stated that military leaders with an engineering mindset often miss the cultural and historical contexts of an area. “They see the most efficient way between A and B, but not the context surrounding A and the context surrounding B.”
Most people who attended the talk were RMC students.
photo by janina enrile
Want to write for us?
email us at
journal_news@ams.queensu.ca
photo by janina enrile
NEWS
6 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
AMS
Office budget projects deficit AMS yearly financial figures were released last week at Assembly B Y O LIVIA B OWDEN Assistant News Editor The AMS General Office Budget for the 2013-14 year was released at AMS Assembly last Thursday, with projections indicating an increased deficit compared to last year. Nicola Plummer, AMS vice-president (operations), compiled this year’s AMS Assembly Budget Package, which is released annually. The General Office is a “budget within the AMS”, said Plummer via email to the Journal. It’s a service that covers every branch within the AMS. Plummer said the AMS felt it was appropriate to budget for a deficit of $117,256 this year, as they had a surplus in previous years. For 2011-12 and 2012-13, the AMS posted surpluses of approximately $300k and $46k, respectively. As a not-for-profit organization, the AMS must budget for zero to prevent profiting, Plummer said. “The AMS endeavours to budget to zero with the understanding that every year they run a surplus, they should run a deficit of equal value,” she said. For the 2012-13 year, a $13,518 surplus was budgeted for the General Office. At the end of the year, the AMS faced a $74,179 deficit. The Assembly Budget Package was released alongside Plummer’s Consolidated Budget Report that was presented to Assembly last week. The Budget Package and the Consolidated Budget Report summarizes AMS finances and projects spending for the current year. Graphs within the Budget Report compare projections to spending over the last two years. The report also addresses AMS
projected expenses and revenues. The General Office Budget, which is addressed in the report and budget package, “covers all administrative expenses of the Society that provides service to both the Government and the Corporation,” Plummer stated in the report. The Society is the body of the AMS while the Government includes AMS governing bodies such as the Commission of Internal Affairs. The Corporation includes AMS businesses such as Common Ground. Plummer said a deficit was projected due to an increase in expenses in some areas. “[The deficit] is a result of increases in the Bus-It contract expense, permanent staff salaries, insurance and legal costs,” she said. Bus-It is a program that covers the contract the AMS has with Kingston Transit, allowing free bussing for students. University student fees as well as the Queen’s Grant cover fees for the program. Due to an increase in ridership, fees for the Bus-It program have increased, contributing to the deficit, said Plummer within the report. Plummer said she’s unsure as to why there is an increase, with the possibility of it being due to increased AMS advertising for taking transit. The current contract with Kingston Transit was secured by the previous General Manger and Vice-President (operations) and is set to last two years. Plummer said the incoming executive will be advised to further this contract. “Bus-It contracts have always existed as long-term contracts and every year we work to keep minimal fee increases,” she said.
Increase in permanent staff salaries come from filling two vacant positions and creating more responsibilities and leading to a salary increase, Plummer said. Cuts were also made within the General Support Services and administration allocation, which provides support to the General Office, as well as the Remuneration Support allocation, which supports permanent staff salaries, Plummer said within the report. “[These were] decreased because programming and therefore spending was increased on the Government side and Assembly constitutionally cannot run a deficit,” she said. “So these cuts had to come somewhere.” Plummer said the Assembly’s budget has been strained this year. She said the AMS is asked to create more programming, but they don’t have the budget to support what is developed. Programs such as the Peer Support Centre have grown over past years, she said. “Even though we continually make cuts to non-programming based costs, we just do not have the funding to support the level of programming that is demanded,” she said. An increased deficit is also due to a “complicated operating environment” both “politically and financially,” she said. “We’re operating in a more complex environment and a more litigious environment,” she said. This kind of environment is a growing trend in society, she said. “An example would be the potential for someone to sue over an event that the AMS ran,” she said. “We must take additional precaution to ensure students employed by the AMS … are legally protected and insured.”
GRAPHIC SUPPLIED BY THE AMS
NEWS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
POLICY
AMS revamps club status New amendments seek to clarify role and process of ratification B Y O LIVIA B OWDEN Assistant News Editor The AMS has launched a new policy to ease clubs into the ratification process, which has proved rocky in past years. Amendments to AMS Policy Msnual 2, labeled Motion 6, were passed last Thursday by AMS Assembly to allow the policy to change. The new policy will ensure that clubs are aware that they must re-ratify, or ratify, through email. Information will also be posted in the Clubs Newsletter, as well as on the AMS website at least a month before the process, as some clubs were unaware they had to re-ratify this year, Clare Bekenn, AMS clubs manager, said. New clubs must go through the ratification process in order to solidify their existence under the AMS umbrella. They must explain the club’s purpose and write a constitution that complies with AMS policy, Bekenn added. Each year, previously-established AMS clubs must re-ratify with the AMS Clubs Office in order to affirm that their club’s constitution is compliant with AMS guidelines, Bekenn said. She said many clubs were slow to ratify, or re-ratify this year, indicating a need for policy change. “We still have some clubs re-ratifying now and the deadline was in May,” Bekenn said. Bekenn and Kristen Olver, AMS commissioner of internal affairs, found the ratification policy to be unclear when they began their positions, said Bekenn.
Clare Bekenn, AMS clubs manager.
“What we’re doing is solidifying [ratification] in policy for our year and future years so they better understand the position and what the mandate is,” Olver said. Olver said the policy shouldn’t affect how clubs run. “There shouldn’t be any change moving forward on the clubs end. It’s more a clarification for the teams moving forward,” she said. “If anything, clubs will just see a smoother notification process and a better understanding.” Alex Morris, vice president (marketing and communications) of the Queen’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders Canada, said the club had no issues re-ratifying in May.
PHOTO BY CHLOE SOBEL
“Our team tends to be on top of stuff as an organization, so we tend to try and plan things ahead of time,” he said. Morris said it’s a concern if some clubs were unaware they had to ratify, or re-ratify. “I can understand not knowing that [ratification] was going on,” he said. “But at the same time it’s a part of what you do as a club.” He said ultimately it’s up to clubs to ensure they are on time handing in documents. “It’s always a good idea to give people a reminder of something, but generally it’s up to the club to take care of that themselves,” Morris said.
OUTREACH
Cuddle campaign to campus Lost Paws seeks to raise awareness for homeless animals in the city B Y N ATASA B ANSAGI Contributor
to a pet right now, because they don’t know where they’re going to be in the future,” Elders said. Each week, there are 10 teams This week, Lost Paws is looking to bring attention to Kingston’s of Lost Paws volunteers that visit the Humane Society, totaling 40-50 homeless furry friends. Lost Paws is a student-run volunteers. “When volunteers go out club and one of 14 committees under ASUS’s community outreach there, they play with the dogs, portfolio, providing volunteers, cuddle the cats, just basically donations and increased awareness get the animals out there more comfortable with the Humane to local charities. This week Lost Paws is focusing Society, make them feel more at on awareness with its bi-annual home,” Leah Combs, co-chair of Awareness Week, running from Lost Paws, said. Fostering is also of interest Nov. 13-15 from 1-5 p.m. in the to students due to the Humane Queen’s Centre. The events will culminate with Society covering the basic costs of a pizza sale on Nov. 15 outside animal caretaking. The Underground. “The only thing [students] have The theme of this semester’s to do is transportation and Lost Awareness Week is fostering and Paws is totally willing to help out adopting animals. Kaila Elders, with that if anyone approaches us,” co-chair of Lost Paws, explained Elders said. This week’s events include a that fostering is a popular option cutest pet contest, bake sale and for students. “[Fostering is] something pizza sale. “People can submit their a lot of students are interested in, just because it’s a really pets on Facebook and then easy option for students we have a Facebook album people because it’s not a can ‘like’,” Elders said. “The long-term commitment to a pet, top five pets get featured in our which is a big reason a lot of Awareness Week.” The bake sale will occur students aren’t wanting to commit
alongside the contest, and candy and glowsticks will also be sold at Friday evening’s pizza sale at The Underground. Last year, Lost Paws raised $3,000 through fundraising efforts such as Awareness Week. This year, they aim to meet or exceed this amount. Combs said there are many ways for students to get involved in this effort. “People can support the Kingston Humane Society right here on campus with Lost Paws. So even just buying a cupcake from us at a stand is making a difference,” Combs said. Lisa Liu, community outreach commissioner at ASUS, oversees these committees and was last year’s co-chair for Lost Paws. “Because Lost Paws is under community outreach with the other 14 committees, they all reach out to Kingston charities,” Liu said. “We want to make sure that Queen’s students are giving back to Kingston and vice versa, just so we can build that connection with the city.”
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
•7
8 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
NEWS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
HEALTH
Mustaches for men’s health Student-run health group aims to create awareness on campus B Y A BBY A NDREW Assistant News Editor Today marks the start of Be Well Do Well’s MoContest, a campaign seeking to raise awareness about men’s health on campus. The contest is being run through Facebook by the Peer Health Educator Social Media team, a faction of Health Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS), which oversees Be Well Do Well. The group is encouraging students to post pictures of their mustaches on the Facebook group and vote for their favourite pictures. The Peer Health Educator Program is a volunteer group comprised of around 30 student volunteers. Run through HCDS, the volunteers work to promote health and wellness strategies to students around campus. Sean Doherty, the Social Media Team’s co-leader, said men’s health is often ignored by university-aged men. “Men’s health is a topic that often goes unmentioned but is extremely important to university students, which is why we decided to run the campaign,” Doherty, ArtSci ’15, told the Journal via email. “We don’t often talk about testicular self-examinations or substance abuse every day.” The campaign celebrates the month of “Movember” which raises awareness surrounding men’s health issues, like prostate and testicular cancer, as men grow facial hair in support. “What is great about ‘Movember’ is that it starts the conversation about men’s health, but it’s also fun,” Doherty said. The three contestants who post pictures with the highest number of “likes” will win either a gift
Students are encouraged to post a picture of their mustaches as part of the campaign.
basket from DrugSmart Pharmacy, a tank-top or a water bottle from Tricolour Outlet. The contest is geared towards self-identifying males and seeks to raise awareness of health rsources on campus. It will also feature health promotional materials. “We hope this campaign will highlight men’s health issues that aren’t usually discussed and will encourage self-identified males on campus to be more passionate about their health,” Doherty said. Other student groups such as Relay for Life and ASUS Cancer Triad are also running Movember projects on campus. “There is currently a competition [calledBig Moustache on Campus] between all the Canadian campuses to raise the most money for [Movember],” he said.
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
“The school that raises the most funds will get [to host] a talk from Chris Hadfield.” The Big Moustache on Campus challenges campuses to raise money for “Movember” with the hopes of winning their school a visit from the retired Canadian astronaut. The challenge is supported by, but not affiliated with, the Peer Health Educator Program. Hadfield was the first Canadian to walk in space and now actively supports “Movember” campaigns. Dalhousie University, in Nova Scotia, is currently in first place. “Whether it’s a group of guys raising some money, or someone doing it on their own, people really get into ‘Movember,’” Doherty said.
CONTRIBUTORS OF THE MONTH Natasa Basangi
Filza Naveed
Natasa has shown her natural talent Filza’s contributions this month from the get-go. Her first story have been integral to the required barely any editing, and Arts section. Her willingness her responsiveness was impressive. to take on any story is Often assigned stories at the inspiring. She has last minute, Natasa always pulls consistently spun out flawless through. Her reliability and talent work — she has a great work make her an extremely valuable ethic and writing technique. asset to our news team, and we The section would not be look forward to working with her the same without her! steadily throughout the year.
Josh Burton
Josh is consistently at the forefront of the Sports section, producing quality coverage of Queen’s biggest sport — football. His profile of the Gaels’ “wolf-shark” defensive backs drew rave reviews, while he showed unprecedented commitment by reporting on the Yates Cup from London. Punters win championships, and so do great staff writers.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
NEWS
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
•9
‘‘Ghetto’ is really negative and inappropriate’ Continued from page 1
the east. The District will be split up into two different phases — phase one being south of Johnson and phase two north of Johnson St. The overall aim, according to Wright, is to eliminate the politically incorrect use of the term “ghetto”, increase liveability and promote beautification of the area. If passed at Council later this year, the District will be officially recognized by the City. “The term ‘ghetto’ is really negative and inappropriate … because of its historical nature and more importantly because of its practical implications,” she said, which lead
landlords to neglect their property because of a “ghetto” perception of the area. “There isn’t a lot of pressure for landlords to renovate their properties because students are willing to rent them how they are because we feel that it’s a ‘ghetto’ and we understand this is what the houses are like,” Wright said. “When we’re calling it a ‘ghetto’ they’re calling it a ‘ghetto’ … and it’s leaving them with a lot of power.” Street signs will include the term “University District” atop of street names, in either blue or green colours. Inspiration for the street signs came from certain neighbourhoods in Toronto, Wright
said, which reflect the individuality of each neighbourhood. “We’re trying to identify the reality of that area, [that] the University is a huge landmark,” she said. “We wanted to stick with something that has the feel of the neighbourhood, like the Distillery District [in Toronto].” The majority of people present at the meeting, which included AMS staff, supported the initiative, referring to it as step forward to reducing a negative stigma surrounding the area. Don Rogers, president of Save Our Neighbourhood Action Group (SONAG), attended the meeting, and voiced some concerns about how the name could bring
an attitude of negative ownership in the student body. “That is, [the attitude] that ‘we own the neighbourhood so we can do whatever we want,’” Rogers told the Journal. “I’ve heard students say that Aberdeen is ‘our street’ therefore ‘we can basically do what we want.’” Despite this, he said he supports the overall proposal. “Hopefully the naming of the University District it will help the objective the AMS is hoping for,” he said, “[A] sense of ownership, a sense of pride, a desire to make the neighbourhood a good place for all.”
Innovation emphasized According to Williams, the policy papers are both linked to the Ontario government’s have been doing was represented in the differentiation strategy, where universities must choose a niche to receive funding. document,” she said. Each university created a Strategic Queen’s administration declined to comment on the details of the submission, as Mandate Agreement for the province, which it will remain confidential until they make an outlined their areas of focus. Queen’s areas of focus were expanded official announcement. Williams said the funds, if received by undergraduate credentials, expanded the University, will go toward on-campus graduate credentials and experiential and innovation “incubators” and “accelerators”. entrepreneurial learning. “What’s great is now we have the “You could think of [an incubator] in a standing policy on enrolment, which covers medical sense,” she said. “It provides a rich environment full the expanded credentials, so we’ll pretty of resources, community, networking much be able to create a submission to the opportunities for young companies to grow.” University,” Williams said. She and the AMS will be lobbying to Accelerators, meanwhile, streamline the process of creating a start-up business, such make changes to the Queen’s Strategic as the Queen’s Summer Innovation Institute, Mandate Agreement next semester, she said, with a focus on accessibility. she said. “For some groups, entrepreneurship, in The Queen’s Summer Innovation Institute provides start-up funds, workshops the sense of pursuing a start-up, can be and mentors to help students create their inaccessible … it can pull away from your own businesses during the summer months. classes. It can mean you can’t get a full-time The application for funding comes job,” she said. Williams said she’s interested in providing as part of a larger strategy to increase entrepreneurship at the University, financial aid for entrepreneurial students, as well as improving campus spaces and Williams said. She added that the AMS is currently integrating entrepreneurship into academics. The details of the innovation developing a new innovation policy paper, which will suggest changes to policy paper will be revealed at the next the University’s approach to innovation AMS Assembly on Nov. 21, she said, and it will be moved to Assembly in January. and entrepreneurship. It will be used along with the AMS enrolment policy paper, ratified in September, to lobby on the behalf of students, she said. Continued from page 1
The proposal seeks to confirm boundaries for the District.
SUPPLIED BY THE AMS
10 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
Dialogue
Editorials — The Journal’s perspective
campus culture
Class clings to campus life
On Nov. 7, the Yale Daily News published a feature on socioeconomic class and campus life. The article stated that the “social gulf between students from low-income families and Yale’s predominately upper-middle-class culture is wide”. While class divisions are less strict at Queen’s than at Yale, a similar situation exists here. Social class is a much larger part of a Queen’s experience than many would like to admit. It’s important to note that Canada is much less economically polarized than the US, and Canadian universities usually draw students from a variety of backgrounds. In general, Canada does a better job of “leveling the playing field” than many other countries. Despite these efforts, however, Queen’s remains a largely white school with a substantial percentage of fairly affluent students. While the average student may not fit that description, and individual experiences vary greatly, Queen’s prestigious reputation combines with its demographics to create a campus environment that can alienate and stigmatize those from lower economic classes. Queen’s culture of class hierarchy is apparent when many students talk about non-student Kingston residents. While it’s occasionally used in a more benign manner, the word “townie” can be seen as a class-based slur.
The University may provide more opportunities for student employment than other schools, but the job demand is high and no one is guaranteed one. Low-income students are sometimes forced to forgo prestigious positions in student government because the pay is not high enough for the time commitment. Students who hold a job have substantially less time to socialize, further alienating them from their wealthier peers. Job or not, many simply find themselves excluded
from Queen’s active nightlife. As if that wasn’t enough, students also have to cope with a campus culture that expects fashionable consumption of name-brand consumer products and the ability to shell out thousands of dollars for long weekend trips or weeklong vacations. Economic disparity is a fact of life, but Queen’s is particularly notable for its expectations and its culture of class hierarchy. — Journal Editorial Board
club officials tend to avoid acknowledging any real problems. Monetary fines and stadium lockouts have been ineffective in dealing with the root of the issue, often punishing large numbers of lex ickering fans who haven’t participated in the chants. In May, FIFA’s worldwide governing body agreed to impose stricter sanctions on fan behaviour during competitions. These penalties may include banishing clubs from top tournaments if their Held once every four years, the fans overstep the mark. World Cup of soccer is the world’s While imposing graver sanctions illustration by Katherine Boxall largest sporting competition, for racist behaviour during games is drawing hundreds of millions of a great initiative, we need to hold remembrance day FIFA accountable for following passionate onlookers. There’s no better way to honour through. Hard lines need to be the world’s game than having the drawn fast to change the behaviour global community come together of fans before 2018. While admittedly Russia isn’t to celebrate in unison. This amalgamation of the only country experiencing such numerous nationalities might challenges, the spotlight is already lead Canadians to associate soccer on them in the lead up to the Just over a week ago, an connotations and the solemnity including, most controversially, the with skill, sportsmanship and 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Ottawa-based non-profit of the occasion, the plan to war in Afghanistan. tolerance. However, this sentiment Controversy surrounding Russia’s The recent rebranding of the isn’t globally-held. treatment of LGBT athletes and organization — the Rideau hand out white poppies at a Institute — announced plans to Remembrance Day ceremony in War of 1812 by the Conservative Russia is set to host supporters has been widely debated hand out white poppies at a local Ottawa was rightly criticized as government should make us even the FIFA World Cup in in the global media. The International Olympic Remembrance Day ceremony. disrespectful. For proposing this more wary about how the history 2018, and we should be asking The organization says the white tactic, the Rideau Institute comes of war is being used to shape ourselves if they’re culturally Committee (IOC) has largely prepared enough to deserve withdrawn from dialogue on the poppies are meant to promote across as attention-seeking and our perceptions. Both the red poppy and the the honour. subject, while major Olympic peace and stand as alternative to confrontational at a time when confrontation isn’t productive. It white poppy will continue Institutionalized racism still rears corporate sponsors don’t seem the red poppy. While the red poppy should is important to note, however, that their long traditions for many its ugly head at the club level in to be protesting. What kind of remain the primary symbol of the white poppy has a long history Novembers to come. White poppy Russian football. Recently, Russian questions does this prompt? FIFA’s new sanctions and Remembrance Day, as its central going back to the 1920s. Since that boosters should resist the teams have come under fire for the message of sacrifice is indispensible, time, some veterans have worn the urge to be confrontational xenophobic behaviour displayed by willingness to openly discuss these issues are a step in the right the white poppy has created a symbol to denote pacifism or to on solemn occasions and red their fans during games. There have been reports of direction. As fans, we must strive to valuable dialogue about the disagree with some aspects of poppy partisans can rest assured that theirs remains the central racist monkey chants directed at make sports a culture of acceptance historical and ideological context in Western foreign policy. black players, bananas being hurled and community. Moreover, while both poppies symbol of remembrance. which the red poppy is presented. In combination, the red poppy at players and the brandishing of In the name of soccer, we have For the vast majority are old symbols, the conversations of veterans and other red they provoke as a pair are and white poppy are provoking banners carrying neo-Nazi symbols. four years to make this a reality. While the Union of European poppy boosters, the red poppy is a relevant to our modern political healthy debates that shouldn’t be revered symbol that represents the context. After all, the red quieted; they are a testament to Football Associations (UEFA) has Alex is the Journal’s Production measures in place to combat these Manager. He’s a third-year sacrifices that veterans made for poppy is said to be worn in our freedom. attitudes, only soft punishments economics student. remembrance of those who have Canada and its ideals. — Journal Editorial Board have been given thus far, while In light of these virtuous served in all Canadians wars,
Red or white, don’t be contrite
Editorial Board Editors in Chief
Janina Enrile Alison Shouldice
Production Manager News Editor
Alex Pickering
Vincent Ben Matak
Assistant News Editors
Abby Andrew Olivia Bowden Sebastian Leck
Features Editors
Rachel Herscovici Emily Miller
Editorials Editor
David Hadwen
Editorial Illustrator
Katherine Boxall
Opinions Editor
Blogs Editor
Erin Sylvester
Arts Editor
Copy Editors
Meaghan Wray
Anisa Rawhani Megan Scarth
Assistant Arts Editor Sports Editor
Tackling intolerance
Brent Moore Josh Tang Anisha Visvanatha
Business Staff
Contributing Staff
Business Manager
Nick Faris
Staff Writers and Photographers Janine Abuluyan Josh Burton Jordan Cathcart Jaehoon Kim Adam Laskaris Sean Liebich Chloe Sobel Colin Tomchick Jerry Zheng
Sales Representatives
Sean Sutherland
Postscript Editor
Katie Grandin
Charlotte Gagnier Sam Koebrich
Graphics Editor
Web Developer
P
Kate Shao
Assistant Sports Editor
Photo Editors
Jessica Chong
A
Jonah Eisen
Michael Wong
Contributors
Natasa Bansagi Lang Bunka
Kevin Kim
James Bolt Clara Lo Stephanie Stevens Friday, November 15, 2013 • Issue 21 • Volume 141
The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston. Editorial opinions expressed in the Journal are the sole responsibility of the Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers. Contents © 2013 by the Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced without prior permission of the Journal. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance 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 Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L-3P4 Telephone: 613-533-2800 (editorial) 613-533-6711 (advertising) Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca The Journal online: www.queensjournal.ca Circulation 6,000
Issue 22 of Volume 141 will be published on Friday, November 22, 2013.
DIALOGUE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
Talking heads
OPINIONS — YOUR PERSPECTIVE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
... around campus
Canadian aid not common cents Government has reduced foreign aid spending, abandoning the world’s poor
ANISHA VISVANATHA, ARTSCI ’14 The well of Canadian aid has not run dry: it’s stagnant. In the past two years, the Harper government has made substantial changes to the administration of Canadian foreign aid. The demand for aid from the country’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) continues to rise as the poorest of the poor are being pushed further into debt, poverty, ill-health and conflict due to economic inequalities within the global system. Instead of using Canada’s foreign aid money to support crucial development projects and to assist in humanitarian crises, the Conservative government has chosen to cut ODA spending, leaving development projects across the world crumbling. Last fiscal year, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) didn’t spend over 13 per cent of its foreign grants and contributions budget (that’s close to $419 million). This means initiatives that expected funding — for example, Haiti disaster relief programs geared toward health, education, housing and infrastructure, were denied funding and forced to shut down. Unsurprisingly, this unspent money goes straight into the government’s general coffers to be redistributed through its overall budget as needed. As ex-Minister of International Cooperation Julian Fantino puts: “we don’t fund NGOs for life.” CIDA failed to spend its budget mainly due to its merger with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to create the new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). DFATD emerged last March as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013, with its main goal being to “facilitate a more coherent
• 11
approach to Canadian international policy, support the achievement of Canadian international goals, as well as provide improved outcomes for Canadians through more efficient, effective and targeted programming.” With this merger, Canadian aid has to meet a tougher criteria: it must be aligned with national interest. This makes it easier for CIDA to neglect spending on projects, leaving much of its budget unspent. DFATD combines two contradictory objectives — foreign aid and national interest — under one umbrella. Canada’s ODA is now directed through a framework geared towards Canada’s benefit, while neglecting the needs of countries whose citizens live in extreme poverty. Increasingly, aid is being shifted to private extractive companies, mostly mining and exploration corporations in Latin America, to “provide developing countries with the support they need to manage and govern their natural resources,” as Fantino said earlier this year.
Instead of using Canada’s foreign aid money to support crucial development projects and to assist in humanitarian crises, the Conservative government has chosen to cut ODA spending, leaving development projects across the world crumbling. This shift in focus from Africa to Latin America shows where the Conservative government’s interests lie. Forging strong connections with powerful extractive companies ensures Canadian control over developing countries’ non-renewable resources, while causing undeserved consequences for those countries — namely, environmental damage, indigenous land theft and human rights violations.
In 2007, 13 Mayan Guatemalans sued HudBay, a Canadian mining company, and its Guatemalan subsidiary, Compania Guatemalteca de Niquel, for rape, murder and assault. These victims also claimed HudBay had occupied their land and had illegally used their resources. As of 2011, HudBay is no longer operating in Guatemala, despite enormous support from the Canadian government.
Forging strong connections with powerful extractive companies ensures Canadian control over developing countries’ non-renewable resources, while causing undeserved consequences for those countries. Establishing stronger ties with corporations reinforces foreign aid as an avenue to project Canada’s diplomatic and trade interests through a mega-department that ignores the real aid issues at hand. We need to coordinate with recipient governments, keeping their vision for development in mind when deciding how to administer ODA. Let’s not get carried away thinking that bilateral (government-to-government) aid is all it takes to solve development problems. Often, it can cause more problems than it can even attempt to solve. The global power dynamics of aid reinforce an “us versus them” and a “have versus have-not” world system. Aid money is not simply donated to poor countries, it can often be contingent on conditions imposed by donor countries. Competing self-interests of donors pose threats to the autonomy of recipients, creates dependency relationships and encourages a “race to the bottom,” where developing countries relax their labour and environmental laws in order to encourage
transnational corporations (TNCs) to do business there. This is evidenced by the fact that Canadian corporations don’t have to abide by Canadian labour and environmental regulations when undertaking operations in developing countries. This would attract Canadian aid based on our not new, but newly-stated aid objectives. Canadian TNCs do not need additional “aid” money to carry out their for-profit affairs. At least the Conservative government is no longer hiding its true motives in regards to aid. National self-interest overrides international solidarity in the Harper government’s obvious ploy to fund mining companies and cut out NGOs. I urge Canada to follow the lead of other nations with comprehensive development agencies, such as the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), that focus on delivering humanitarian aid based on the recipient country’s ideas for needs-based development.
The global power dynamics of aid reinforce an “us versus them” and “have versus have-not” world system. Aid money is not simply donated to poor countries, it can often be contingent on conditions imposed by donor countries. While the Canadian government has the funds to spend on worthwhile humanitarian ODA, it chooses to release those funds to the general budget to be used by other departments. The DFATD merger makes it clear that to our Conservative government, foreign aid is foreign policy’s cat’s paw.
PHOTOS BY ERIN SYLVESTER
How is Movember going so far?
“Well, I still haven’t shaved.” SHELBY CONTOS, ARTSCI ’14
“I like seeing everyone shaved at the beginning.” JULIANNA CSOPAK, ARTSCI ’14
“It was great and then my ’stache decided to quit, but I still donated online.” NICK CASTEL, ARTSCI ’16
“I’m disappointing my Viking heritage.” NIKLAS GRANS-WOOD, ARTSCI ’15
“It’s a bit itchy but it’s good — although my girlfriend keeps threatening to shave the moustache off while I sleep” PATRICK O’LEARY, ARTSCI ’14
Send pitches to: journal_ letters@ams. Canada has been cutting its foreign aid to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Oxfam.
SUPPLIED BY OXFAM EAST AFRICA
queensu.ca
14 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
Arts Theatre Preview
Comedic commentary The drama department brings humour to important social messages
The Threepenny Opera production aims to explore the idea of interaction through the use of Twitter and Instagram projections around the stage.
B y M eaghan Wray Arts Editor A socialist commentary on capitalism, The Threepenny Opera, put on by the Queen’s drama department, aims to capture the essence of human interaction. Tim Fort, a drama professor and the musical’s director, has dabbled in just about everything — from lighting production to set design, to acting himself. Since being an undergraduate he’s seen a variety of adaptations of the famous 17th century play, once named The Beggar’s Opera as adapted by Bertolt Brecht. The play, Fort said, isn’t too plotheavy but a variety of messages can be taken from it, such as real-life lessons about the corruption of capitalism. For Fort, it’s very important to get the audience as close as possible to the actor. His first experience seeing The Threepenny Opera brought just that. “[The Threepenny Opera] really stuck with me at the time because the director had … the beggars crawling on our legs. It was very environmental and I really liked that production,” Fort said, “but ever since, I haven’t liked the productions I’ve seen and I think they’ve either got too grand, or too mean-spirited, or a little bit of both.” Directing this decades-old play required Fort to focus on what could interest a contemporary audience. “First was to set out to find out what the enduring pleasures of
The Threepenny Opera were, and I think I have found [that] with the right cast and the right attitude,” he said. “There’s a lot of social satire and parody underneath what appears to be an oppressive middle-of-theroot story, and I think a lot of people who produce Brecht just go for the easy messages.” It was finding the perfect cast, who brought out the comedic essence, which put the musical in
the right direction. “Being able to with this cast find the humour in it and find the light in the music and so forth was a big thing that made me want to do it and actually discover some stuff,” Fort said, “and when I direct anything now I think I have to have a piece that I’m curious about.” Part of what attracted him to the Opera is the question: how do we interact with one another?
“I was looking for a piece to help me solve a larger problem that I’ve identified for at least the last decade, but it’s really come to the head in the last four years,” he said. “What is the relationship of an audience to live events? Not just theatre, but even a lecture, a concert, whatever.” Fort attended a showing of the musical Spring Awakening in New York City and noticecd a lot of people using smartphones
Supplied by Michelle Lau
during the show. “I really embarked on this show to try and understand what connects people to what’s happening in front of them,” he said. “And how do we connect as a group and how do we deal with social media and just media in general … but also, [we want to] engage the audience, ask them to participate, so ask them to interact with the screens.” See Enduring on page 18
Live music
Sounds of soul The Blind Boys of Alabama will bring tales from the South to Kingston B y K ate S hao Assistant Arts Editor To write the “Boys” off as a mundane gospel group would be a big mistake. The group, most of which are blind, boast an impressive six Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award, three presidential invitations to the White House and collaborations with the likes of Willie Nelson, Tom Petty and Prince. But perhaps what’s most impressive about the Blind Boys of Alabama is their genuine humbleness and sincere gratitude. The Blind Boys have lived through it all. They’ve sung
through the Jim Crow Era to the Civil Rights Movement and up to today’s Obama Era. “When we first got started back in the 40s, it was a difficult time,” Blind Boy member Ricky McKinnie said. “There were certain hotels you couldn’t stay in, you couldn’t go to certain places to eat.” While touring the deep south during the Jim Crow Era, the Blind Boys would be forced to stay in friends’ houses and get their food from street windows. But luckily, things have changed since then and McKinnie thanks God for that. “Now we can pretty much go anywhere we want to go, sleep and play,” he said. “We just thank God
supplied by cameron witting
The Blind Boys of Alabama are five-time Grammy Award winning gospel group from Talladega, Alabama.
for giving us an opportunity to see this come to a pass.” Performing for President Obama in 2010 marked the end of an era for the Boys. “To go back to the White
House and sing to a black President that was qualified to do the job made it that more special,” McKinnie said. Despite all the well-deserved See An on page 18
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
ARTS
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
• 15
16 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
ARTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
STUDENT PROFILE
Designing independence Queen’s student Julia Miskey invites us into her creative space B Y J ANINE A BULUYAN Staff Writer To Queen’s student and part-time fashion designer Julia Miskey, “style over fashion” is the rule of thumb. Miskey’s creative utopia, the place that doubles as her bedroom and sewing room, was unmistakeably a shrine to style. The tastefully curated mass of paraphernalia that fit into the space was impressive. On the left side of the room were perfectly colour coded racks of clothes. Above them were the designer’s own hanging dried roses and below lay numerous shoes. Stereotypically speaking, it’s every young fashion enthusiast’s dream. Everything about the room bore the mark of a conscientious eclectic. The world religions minor acknowledged her diverse style by pointing out the different patterns and cultural influences in her room — her signature Buddha bracelet and Hand of Fatimah necklace being notable pieces. Miskey acquired an early interest in fashion from her grandmother, who first taught her how to sew. Since then, Miskey said she’s used it as an outlet for creativity and self-expression. “I’m really artistic but I can’t draw or paint so … I think [sewing is an] easy way for me to show my creativity,” she said. “What’s good with sewing is that if you make a mistake you
can always just take out a few stitches and sew again, but when a seam is done perfectly I really admire that too.” During this fall/winter season, the designer cites staying warm as her key sartorial guide. Anything from faux fur to boots and beanies, as well as oversized knit scarves and sweaters, gets the green light. For this holiday season, Miskey said her go-to style will be neutral colours and pops of jewellery. The designer emphasized originality and playing by your own rules when it comes to fashion. To her, style is about doing the unexpected, like mixing three different shades of red when you’re told not to. “I love being able to express myself through what I wear … I like to find different finds that not everybody has,” Miskey said. “I’m not going to pay a thousand dollars for a bag when I’m walking down the street and somebody else has it. ” The young designer cited photo-blogging site Tumblr and indie music videos as sources of inspiration. And, as with many of her fellow university students and fellow artists, Miskey’s creative process involves carrying around a book for her ideas and being a night owl. “I work best at night when everybody is asleep,” she said. “That way I’m completely alone.” The style maven said lots of candles, coffee and tea are also helpful.
Queen’s student Julia Miskey shows off her handmade designs.
Miskey said she’s very specific with her creations. She explained that she would only make tight-fitted, measured clothes by special request. “I like to make things that are kind of oversized and a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. [I like clothes] oversized and cinched at the waist so that you can wear belts or drawstrings [and] everybody can enjoy it,” she said. “If I’m going to make something tight-fitted it’s usually for a specific person so I do it measurements-wise. ” Miskey said she has big plans for herself, but is starting off small. Her life, she said, is a succession of to-do lists. “After school is done then I’m going to set my whole room up like a sewing room and have different types of everything [and] make my own patterns,” she said. “I would love to dye my own fabrics and go travelling to get my own fabrics so that it’s completely unique. ” Like any other aspiring designer, Miskey dreams of her creations being sold out in renowned department stores. For now, she’s keeping her operation small and humble while she focuses on school. If her passion and enthusiasm for her creative outlet is any indication, it may not be long before we see the designer’s label, potentiallynamed “Made with Love”, out in stores. “If I have enough thread, I’ll keep going,” Miskey said. Check out Julia Miskey’s creations as part of this year’s Queen’s Project Red Charity Fashion Show from March 7-8.
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
Arts
Friday, November 15, 2013
queensjournal.ca
frontman, said. In 2009, the band sent out a tweet asking if anyone in Kingston wanted them to play a house party. So they did. The tweet, saying something along the lines of “hey, if anyone wants us at a house party, we’d love to play,” was met with an invite into a Kingstonian’s humble abode. Accompanied by good food and
a keg, Bancroft said it was a great introduction to the Limestone City. Said the Whale’s personalized touch on gigs isn’t the only thing drawing in audiences. Their take on the music industry and their new album are also big pulls. Their Grad Club show tonight is sold out. It’s easy to get caught up in the industry, Bancroft said,
but hawaiii, the band’s latest work, represents a change in production process. hawaiii, not to be confused with the American state, is Said the Whale’s fourth full-length album. Bancroft no longer creates to please or meet others’ expectations. “There’s these sorts of outside pressures that can influence our songwriting,” he said. “I just didn’t give a fuck about anything, all the fucks went out the window.” This “no-fucks-given” attitude had some ironic results. The album’s first single “I Love You” is the band’s most successful song on the radio to date — not bad for not trying to please. Taking a turn from their usually catchy, upbeat tunes like “I Love You,” Bancroft penned the album’s latest single, “Helpless Son.” “I cried when I wrote that song,” he said. Bancroft’s mother battled cancer when he was 13 and, fortunately, is a survivor. He said the song is about watching a loved one deal with health problems or any sort of pain, one that you have no control over at all. “It was a way to show my mom how much I appreciate her,” he said, “but also tackle the universal subject of people dealing with watching their loved ones go through an illness or suffering.” The heartfelt song’s music video, which was shot and edited by Bancroft, was released two weeks ago. It’s possibly the band’s most contemplative and
Exploring art life
musicians today. Both the artists explained that while Toronto has a unique music industry, the idea of the starving artist remains a universal theme. The film includes local Toronto bands The Ruby Spirit, The Alter Kakers and Committed to Rhyme with commentary from wellestablished musicians, including Tokyo Police Club, Bif Naked and Anvil. For Jensen, it felt like a natural
fit being in the creative industry and being surrounded by musicians all the time. Smyth and Jensen’s friends supplied the rest of the cast and crew. Friends and fellow Queen’s grads David Killing, ArtSci ’07 David Koiter, ArtSci ’07, and Tim O’Reilly, ArtSci ’09, contributed to the film with camera work and audio mixing. As for finding the bands, Jensen humorously shared how Smyth contacted one of the bands on
Supplied by Vanessa Heins
The first venue that Said the Whale played in Kingston was a house party.
Concert Preview
Old habits die hard
Said the Whale’s Tyler Bancroft talks music pirating and the industry B y K ate S hao Assistant Arts Editor Despite having toured for over five years, they have yet to make a pit stop in Kingston — until now. Well, sort of. “Once upon a time we played a house show in Kingston,” Tyler Bancroft, Said the Whale’s
Film
Queen’s alumni debut music documentary B y J anine A buluyan Staff Writer Life’s challenges can be a source of fulfillment and even success, as two Queen’s alumni express in this soon-to-be-released documentary.
The Scene: An Exploration of Music in Toronto was edited and produced by Andrew Smyth, ArtSci ’10, and directed by Josh Jensen, ArtSci ’07. It’s an up close and personal documentary film about the life and times of Canadian
• 17
expressive piece. The Vancouver-based band didn’t completely stray away from old habits. They collaborated with long-time friend and fellow Vancouverite Tom Dobrzanski of The Zolas again. They’ve recorded all of their albums in Dobrzanski’s studio. As the album’s co-producer, Bancroft has a long wish list of future collaborators but faces the harsh realities of the industry. “Producers are very expensive,” he said. “Spending a whole buttload on records in this current music industry would not be a wise decision.” It’s not news that the record labels and musicians are going through a hard time. “I think the average person has a lot of misconceptions of the music industry,” he said. “When they are paying for an album they often assume that all of their money is going to some giant evil corporation that exists solely to rip off the artist.” In the majority of cases, this is far from the truth. Most musicians, like Said the Whale, have a lot more control over their music. “It actually does hurt us when people illegally download music, but on the flipside, it actually does help us when people pay for music,” Bancroft said. “It enables us to make more music in the future.”
Craigslist — one way that had the pair meeting people from different parts of the industry. For the filmmakers, watching the artists sustain themselves was a personal story that they hoped to apply to their own lives. Neither Jensen nor Smyth owned a camera before their DIY film project. They said they had to find cameras, lighting, audio, editing equipment and the right
Said the Whale will play a sold-out show at The Grad Club tonight.
See DIY on page 18
Top 10 Charts
For the week ending November 12th
/ / / /
1 17 14 13
5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 /
15 2 -16 -5
1 2 3 4
Andrew Smyth (left) and Josh Jensen (right) pose outside of the Roxy in Toronto.
Supplied by David Killing
The Arcade Fire Solids Moonface Yamantaka / Sonic Titan Grouplove Shad Field Study Cults Evil Ebenezer Haim
Reflektor Blame Confusion Julia With Blue Jeans On Uzu Spreading Rumours Flying Colours Feverland Static Howl Days Are Gone
ARTS
18 •QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
An era of gospel Continued from page 14
attention, the Blind Boys have remained true to their roots. The music veterans started off as glee club members at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Alabama back in the late 1930s. The group called themselves the The Happy Land Jubilee Singers, but soon opted for a name change. During a 1944 group battle, the Jubilee Singers were up against the Jackson Harmoneers. A program distributed at the time dubbed it a “Battle of the Blind Boys,” thus alluding to the name, the Blind Boys of Alabama. Since that fateful battle, things have changed, but not too much. They made a pact to continue doing what they were doing — singing gospel. “Gospel is what we are all about. We were brought up in Christian homes and raised in the church,” McKinnie said. “The church has stayed with us and we have stayed with the church.” The Blind Boys kept up the tradition and included six traditional gospel songs on their latest album I’ll Find A Way, which was released last month.
I’ll Find A Way bridges the gap between generations. Justin Vernon, better known for his work as Bon Iver, produced it. Vernon grew up listening to gospel music and majored in religion at the University of Wisconsin. He jumped at the chance to collaborate with his childhood heroes. “When we met [Vernon], we found him to be a real nice individual,” McKinnie said. “It was cold in Wisconsin, but it was warm in his house.” The two musical styles collided on their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Every Grain of Sand.” “[The song] has a Justin Vernon spin on it, we just jumped on and made it work.” Needless to say, the tune is incredibly catchy and intensely soulful. After over seven decades of making music, the Blind Boys haven’t stopped believing. “We have always been dreamers,” McKinnie said. “If you can dream the dream, do the work and keep the faith, everything is going to be alright.” The Blind Boys of Alabama will hit Kingston for the first time on Nov. 20 at the Grand Theatre.
Enduring pleasures Continued from page 14
The play will have screens set up around the stage, displaying tweets and Instagram posts related to the show. They also have a few people who will be answering text messages. “Instead of messaging a friend that you’re bored, you might as well message [drama student Chris Blackwell] and he’ll come back at you, or you can interact with the screens,” Fort said. “I thought ‘I don’t know whether this will be a disaster and I don’t know what people will watch,’ so it’s kind of an experiment in how people connect and also what theatre etiquette means, if it means anything anymore.” The set is made primarily of burlap
and raw lumber, painted by a variety of students involved in the production. Student involvement, Fort said, is crucial to the success of any Queen’s production. “Probably 65 to 70 students work on the piece, and a lot of times it gets confusing because 15 of them are up front as actors, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how many people are engaged in this piece,” he said. “Everybody who’s working on it has a really important part and has made what I think is a fairly rich environment out The Journal has put together a list of shows available on Netflix for the of this.” expert procrastinator — perfect for exam time. The Threepenny Opera will be presented in Theological Hall until Nov. 16.
DIY documentary Continued from page 17
three ways to protect yourself and keep your mobile device safe from harm. Here are
1
Passcode
2
updates
ALWAYS SECURE your mobile device with a STRONG PASSCODE
STAY CURRENT with the latest system and application UPDATES
One of the easiest ways to prevent theft that is often overlooked.
Helps to guard against the latest attacks on your devices.
3
Contact your mobile device manufacturer for product support. To learn more about safe computing practices visit:
www.queensu.ca/its/security
data
KNOW HOW to perform a REMOTE WIPE on your mobile device
Sensitive information can be easily wiped if your device is lost or stolen.
GRAPHIC BY JONAH EISEN
people for the equipment, who would also work for free. “The advantage to doing the DIY approach is that no credit cards were maxed out in the making of this picture,” Jensen said, “but at the other end of the spectrum, you put extra stress on yourself.” Neither of them said they had solid past experience to build on for making a music documentary. It was mostly trial-and-error, both said, and they constantly had to balance the need to pay the rent while doing what they really loved. Luckily, the forgiving format of a documentary allowed them to piece together, as well as unfold, the story naturally. The entire project took about a year from concept to screen. “The arc of the film kind of follows the career of a band,” Jensen said, “from inception to songwriting, to playing live, recording, getting representation [and] touring.” A musician’s life has its own challenges and rewards. Few artists get paid, and with the Internet, they get paid even less. With touring costs, basic living necessities and unexpected costs like US working visas for American shows, it can be very daunting. Some musicians stream their music online
for free, in hopes of enticing people to buy their show tickets or merchandise. In Toronto, the sheer amount of musicians playing in the same genre, Smyth said, in the same venue and on the same night makes it hard to get noticed. “It sort of becomes very mindblowing when you start to think about how these bands actually support themselves,” Smyth said. In this light, the film celebrates those who are willing to keep playing for the love of the music. For Smyth, the idea of fighting for an artistic income is very real. He’s an unpaid intern in Toronto’s film industry. “I got very frustrated trying to support myself in a creative industry,” Smyth said, “and I had these lingering questions about how music, another creative industry, is able to support the people that work with it.” At the end of the month, Smyth and Jensen will be coming full circle by screening their film at Queen’s, where they were first introduced to the art of film. “We’re very excited to have this opportunity to come back to campus and show it so hopefully we’ll get a crowd out,” Smyth said. The Scene: An Exploration of Music in Toronto will be shown at a free screening on Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. in Ellis Auditorium. It’s expected to be released on iTunes, VOD and DVD form in early 2014.
Friday, November 15, 2013
queensjournal.ca
SIDELINE COMMENTARY
Second best
• 19
Sports
Season derailed in OUA championship, but Gaels experience forward progress B y J osh B urton Staff Writer For a season that ended in a championship blowout, Queen’s 2013 football campaign was still entertaining and a general success. In his 14th season as head coach, Pat Sheahan led the Gaels to a near perfect 7-1 regular season. Their sole blemish was a 50-31 defeat at the hands of the Western Mustangs, who beat them 51-22 in last Saturday’s Yates Cup game. The OUA title game had an eerily similar script to the teams’ first meeting. Both games saw the Gaels overwhelmed by the Mustang offence in the second and third quarters, before mounting comebacks that were too little, too late. Entering 2013 ranked second in the country, it appeared the OUA was the Gaels’ to lose. Western proved to be on another level, but Queen’s was the clear second-best
team in Ontario. Eventually, the Gaels ran into a better squad and were unable to execute. An inability to consistently string together long touchdown drives ultimately doomed the Gaels, as their offence remained too explosion play-oriented. Still, the season featured several classic performances from individual players and the team as a whole. Receiver Giovanni Aprile kicked off the year in style with four touchdowns, including a 115-yard missed field goal return, as the Gaels nearly shutout the York Lions in a 52-1 victory. Queen’s football celebrated its first official Homecoming game since 2008, a thriller that will likely be remembered for Aaron Gazendam’s walk-off punt recovery touchdown after a blocked field goal attempt in overtime. The undeniably Canadian play capped off a wild fourth-quarter
Western receiver Matt Uren was named Yates Cup MVP after snagging two touchdown passes, including this circus catch late in the second quarter.
rally from the Gaels, who trailed the underdog Laurier Golden Hawks with under three minutes remaining in the game. Queen’s managed to vanquish two blown fourth-quarter losses to the Guelph Gryphons from 2012,
Judo
World-class instruction Former Olympic contender moonlights as trainer for rec club B y B rent M oore Contributor Elite martial artist Michal Popiel showcases his wealth of experience twice a week at the ARC. A second-year economics PhD candidate, Popiel began teaching Queen’s recreational Judo Club classes this September after being off the mats for a year. His career in combat sports stretches back to his time as a high school wrestler in Texas and culminated in a run at the 2012 London Olympics. “I was on the mats twice a day for most of my life,” said Popiel, PhD ‘16. “I needed a break.” After graduating high school, Popiel had the option of wrestling at the collegiate level, but chose instead to travel to Japan and train in judo at the International Budo University. “When I landed in Japan, I didn’t know a word of Japanese, but I picked it up quickly,” Popiel
said. “I didn’t have a choice.” The Japanese team trained six days a week, including several hours of sparring every night. “Sometimes I look back and don’t know how I did it,” he said. His body certainly shows the years of dedication. Popiel’s torso is lean from drilling and his ears are swollen with cauliflower. Popiel was at the peak of his game in the lead-up to the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was ranked in the top 22 in the world for
his weight class — just above the cut-off for the Games. But spending so much time on the mat made him susceptible to injury. Eight months before the Olympics, he suffered a herniated disc in his back and fell out of contention. At the same time Popiel was gunning for the Olympics, he was also completing his master’s degree in economics at Concordia University. See Club on page 21
inside Hockey
Men’s and women’s teams stay perfect in regulation.
Men’s basketball
Squad tastes defeat for the first time this season. PAGE 20
Cross-Country
Staehli brings home individual CIS gold.
women’s volleyball
Gaels beat lowly Nipissing, fall to first-place York. PAGE 21 Popiel teaches two classes a week at the ARC.
PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE GAGNIER
dealing the Gryphons consecutive defeats to end the regular season and in the OUA semi-final. The Gaels played their best team football over this two-game span. Quarterback Billy McPhee threw the ball efficiently, gaining 522 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception. Running backs Ryan Granberg
Photo by Sam Koebrich
and Daniel Heslop tore up the Gryphons defence, combining for 281 yards and three touchdowns. In the September loss to Western, Granberg became the Gaels’ all-time leading rusher, breaking Mike Giffin’s record and eventually finishing his CIS career with 3,373 rushing yards. See Wins on page 23
Women’s basketball
Offensive woes Shooting struggles prove costly out west B y J erry Z heng Staff Writer The Gaels shot themselves out of a perfect start to the regular season last weekend. Queen’s lost 69-60 to the Western Mustangs last Friday and fell 82-56 to the Windsor Lancers in a blowout on Saturday. Against the Mustangs (3-1), the Gaels (2-2) led in every statistical category but couldn’t buy a bucket. They shot 32.4 per cent from the field and made only five free throws in 16 attempts. Gaels head coach Dave Wilson said the shots his team missed were open looks. “The shots we created were good shots. The shots we took were good shots,” Wilson said. “That was frustrating because [Western’s] a team we should beat.” Wing Jenny Wright couldn’t find her shooting stride all game, registering only five points. She made only one field goal in 11 attempts. Fellow wing Gemma Bullard also had difficulty scoring, going three for 16 from the field and shooting two for 11 from three-point range. In addition to their offensive struggles during regular play, the Gaels are currently the fourth-worst free throw shooting team in the country. “Our initial thought was that it looked like we were going to be much better foul shooters than in the previous years,” Wilson said. “That has not materialized.” Wilson expressed disappointment in the Gaels’
unsteady play so far. “We’ve shown no consistency in how we play in terms of whether it’s a Friday game or a Saturday game, and on the road or a home game,” he said. Gaels guard Liz Boag scored a team-high 14 points, while guard Jenny Vaughan led the Mustangs with 21. On Saturday, the Gaels couldn’t keep up with Windsor (3-1) after outscoring them 15-11 in the first quarter. They were beat in every statistical category except for rebounding. The Lancers registered 20 steals and forced the Gaels to commit 27 turnovers. Boag was held to five points, while Wright and Bullard led Queen’s with 14 and 13, respectively. Windsor forward Jessica Clemencon had a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Wilson believes the Lancers are the most talented team in the CIS. “[They’re] the most athletically gifted,” Wilson said. “They have the ability to disrupt everything that we do. Anytime you make a mistake, they are there to capitalize.” Gaels guard Emily Hazlett said the squad didn’t prepare any differently for the Lancers. “I think we go into any game, no matter who we’re play, with the same mentality: we’re going to win this game,” she said. The Gaels will look to snap their two-game losing streak on the road this weekend. They’ll face the Laurier Golden Hawks (3-1) tonight and the Waterloo Warriors (1-2) tomorrow.
Sports
20 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
women’s hockey
Squeeze and breeze Two distinct types of wins keep defending champs in first B y J aehoon K im Staff Writer Women’s hockey is atop the OUA again after a blowout win and a last-minute goal. On Saturday, the nationally third-ranked Gaels (8-0-3) earned a hard-fought 3-2 win against the Toronto Varsity Blues (6-2-1), who were looking to crack the CIS Top 10 with a statement victory against Queen’s. The next day, the Gaels dominated from start to finish in a 7-1 rout of the Ryerson Rams (3-6-0). Fifth-year centre Morgan McHaffie scored a game-winning power play goal against Toronto on Saturday with just 36.5 seconds left in regulation. “Against a good team like Toronto, who’s had a great start, we needed to play solid the whole
60 minutes, and that’s what we got from the players today,” said Gaels head coach Matt Holmberg. “We knew it was going to be a tight game, so we thought special teams might be the difference and the girls ended up pulling it off in the end.” Toronto had the game’s first real scoring chance, as Gaels goalie Mel Dodd-Moher made a save less than four minutes in, keeping the game scoreless. The Varsity Blues scored moments later off of a poor defensive giveaway, but Gaels fourth-year centre Shawna Griffin tied it up just a few minutes later, scoring on a wraparound chance. Queen’s managed to take the lead less than five minutes into the second period, after a slow-paced first frame left both teams with just six shots on net. Third-year winger Taryn Pilon flew down the wing
Men’s basketball
One for two Veteran forward leads way in road split B y J ordan C athcart Staff Writer Mackenzie Simpson kept up his scoring prowess on the road last weekend. It was a split for the Gaels (3-1) on their most recent away swing, as they defeated the Western Mustangs 82-74 last Friday and dropped a 98-74 decision to the Windsor Lancers on Saturday. The story of the weekend was the hot hand of Simpson, a fifth-year forward who currently ranks 10th in OUA scoring at 18.2 points per game. He deposited a season-high 26 in the win over Western (0-4). Gaels head coach Stephan Barrie gave his top scorer praise, but was quick to point out the importance of team success over individual achievement. “I’m really happy for Mack and look forward to his development this season,” Barrie said. “For us, it’s not important to have one player to play great to win — we want all our guys to play well, and some will play better on certain nights.” On Friday, the Gaels took on a Mustangs team chomping at the bit to get back on the court after losing two blowouts to the powerful Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees the weekend before. It was a hard-fought game, but the Gaels pulled away in the third quarter and had no problems closing out Western in their home opener. Simpson led the scoring attack, while fourth-year guard Greg Faulkner hooped 16 points and added six assists. Despite the result being closer than expected, Barrie was pleased to beat the winless Mustangs. “I know that was a very good win for us in terms of what we had to face,” Barrie said. “Western
was with their backs against the wall in their home opener, so we knew they were going to be a tough challenge.” On Saturday, the Gaels faced an even tougher challenge in the über-athletic Windsor Lancers (2-2), who are ranked seventh in the nation. Queen’s was outscored 25-5 in the first quarter, but finished strong, topping the Lancers 51-50 in the second half. Simpson had a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, while second-year guard Sukhpreet Singh chipped in with 16 points and 11 helpers in the losing effort. “Windsor is one of the top teams in the nation and, athletically, they’re probably top two or three in the country,” Barrie said. “We certainly did not stop playing and when you’re down a good chunk at the end of a long road trip, it is something you have to fight against. “Our guys did a good job of finishing the game off properly.” With seven players reaching double-digit minutes against the Mustangs and nine doing so against the Lancers, the Gaels have no shortage of depth this season. Barrie believes this has contributed to Queen’s success so far. “Last year when we recruited all those guys, our plan was to play 10 guys every game,” he said. “The good part is that builds chemistry and makes sure everyone is relying on each other to be successful.” After four games, the Gaels boast a 3-1 record and are slotted behind Carleton, Ottawa and the Laurentian Voyageurs in the OUA East, who are all at an undefeated 4-0. The Gaels will take on the Laurier Golden Hawks (2-2) and the Waterloo Warriors (0-3) on the road tonight and tomorrow.
and made a forehand-backhand deke, roofing the puck glove-side on the Varsity Blues goaltender. The Gaels got into penalty trouble in the third period, giving up two straight for bodychecking. This led to Toronto’s equalizer: A well-placed backhander that went just over Dodd-Moher’s glove and into the top right corner, tying the game at 2-2. “We killed off a lot of power plays and they finally got one in the third period, but I didn’t see anyone slouching their shoulders on the bench,” Holmberg said. “Everyone just kept plugging away.” Toronto had a chance to score again with five minutes left in regulation, but Dodd-Moher The Gaels depended on depth to capture both games Photo by Chloe Sobel made two good saves to keep the this weekend, as 10 different players provided points. game tied. With just 1:16 left in the game, Dodd-Moher said. “It’s always fun five-point performance. Her linemate Courtenay Jacklin the Varsity Blues took a crucial to play them, because we have a added a pair of markers and an penalty, leading to a redirected pretty good rivalry with them.” Against Ryerson, Queen’s scored assist, as the Gaels forced Ryerson point shot from third-year defenceman Danielle Girard and four unanswered goals within a to make a goalie change after the five-minute span late in the first first period. the winning goal from McHaffie. Queen’s will head out west “Toronto has a really good period, quickly putting the game goalie, so our game plan was to just out of reach. Griffin had a goal next, facing the Windsor Lancers crash the net and get some dirty and two assists in the first period (5-5-1) tomorrow and the Western goals which we were able to do,” alone, finishing with an impressive Mustangs (7-4-1) Sunday.
Men’s hockey
Complete performance Young players thrive as Gaels top Toronto, then win via forfeit B y A dam L askaris Staff Writer Queen’s earned a hard-fought victory and the easiest two points of the season last weekend. The Gaels defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1 last Friday in a home contest at the Memorial Centre. They were also gifted an additional victory through a forfeit by the Ryerson Rams. Queen’s was originally scheduled to play Ryerson at home on Saturday night, but the Rams were suspended two games by their school for alcohol violations on a recent road trip. The decision handed the Gaels an
automatic victory. “It has nothing to do with us,” said Queen’s assistant coach Tony Cimellaro about the cancelled game. “Ryerson suspended their program for the week and we just happened to be one of their opponents, so it’s two points that we’ll take.” With the regular victory and the default on the weekend, the Gaels improved their record to 5-0-4. Their 14 points puts them in second place in the OUA East, one behind the first-place McGill Redmen. Cimellaro said the Gaels played their most complete game of the season against Toronto.
Photo by Charlotte Gagnier
Queen’s was originally slated to play Ryerson on Saturday night, but ended up claiming two points via forfeit.
“In the second and third [periods], we were really good structurally and the guys did a really good job of buying in,” he said. “I think we beat Toronto at their game, as they’re a good structured team.” Kevin Bailie, who was in net for the Gaels and stopped 21 of 22 shots en route to the victory, gave credit to his defencemen. “They were awesome,” Bailie said. “I owe everything to them. We’ve been working hard with our structure all week with our coaches. The boys played big tonight.” Paul Van De Velde opened the scoring for Toronto with a goal at 11:43 of the first period, before Gaels second-year defenceman Chris Van Laren tied it up early in the second frame. Rookie forward Patrick McGillis then scored a pair of goals: a go-ahead tally in the second period and an empty netter late in the game to seal the deal for Queen’s. The third period was full of action, as each team had a number of scoring chances. In the end, it was the Gaels’ strong defensive play that put them on top. All four of the Gaels losses have come after regulation, and they’re currently winless in the extra frame. “We definitely didn’t want it to go to overtime or a shootout again,” Bailie said. “Everyone stepped up. I don’t think we’ve had any games this year that weren’t close.” The Gaels hit the road this weekend, with games against the Guelph Gryphons (5-5-0) and Western Mustangs (5-3-0) tonight and tomorrow. The puck drop for both games is set for 7:30 p.m.
Sports
Friday, November 15, 2013
queensjournal.ca
• 21
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
You win one, you lose one Extreme results leave Gaels in the middle B y S ean L iebich Staff Writer A young Gaels squad provided tough competition in a loss to the province’s top team. Women’s volleyball moved to 3-2 on the season, besting
the Nipissing Lakers in straight sets, one day after losing to the OUA-leading York Lions. The Gaels took the opening set from the Lions 25-22, before losing the next two sets 25-17 and 25-14. “As a team we started out very well against York,” said head coach Joely Christian-Macfarlane. “There were opportunities for sure as the match wore on.” The women nearly forced a fifth and deciding set, pushing the fourth set deep into extra time. However, the team came up short, losing 29-27. Christian-Macfarlane said the Gaels played as a team against York, as opposed to as individuals. “Each person had a strong contribution towards our effort against York,” she said. “I wouldn’t really say one person did it all, I’d say it was a real team effort.” Friday’s match against Queen’s was York’s toughest test so far this season, which bodes well for the remainder of the Gaels’ campaign. On Saturday, the women faced the Lakers for the first time ever. The Gaels handled their business, beating the Lakers in three straight
Club progressing Continued from page 19
He failed to qualify, retired from competition and moved to Kingston, where he started a PhD at Queen’s last year. After spending last year away from the mats, Popiel returned enthusiastically this fall and now teaches two recreational judo classes a week at the ARC. The classes begin with a dynamic warm up and combine technique, drilling and sparring. Popiel teaches both stand up and groundwork — judo’s two foundational aspects — and with 10-20 students in each class, he’s able to give personal attention and feedback. “I’m always walking around, answering questions,” he said. His students, in turn, are picking things up quickly. “They’re training really hard. It’s rewarding to see people making progress.” Josi Morgenroth, Sci ’14, is the vice-president of Queen’s rec Judo Club. The club was initially referred to Popiel through his wife, who ran judo classes at Queen’s for a few weeks last year. Morgenroth has practiced judo since childhood and has fought competitively in the past. Still, she notes that the club caters to students of all levels, and they’ve retained most of the beginner students that signed up in September. “We pushed the fact that we have Michal this year, and that he was going to build their skills from the ground up,” Morgenroth said. “We had a lot of people come
out [in September] who had never done judo before.” She’s planning on organizing an in-house judo tournament at the end of the Fall semester, with Popiel set to referee. “[It’s] just so people can get a chance to see what competing is like,” she said.
Photos by JOSH TANG
The Gaels beat Nipissing in straight sets at home, marking the first time the two programs have ever faced each other.
sets: 25-20, 25-8 and 25-21. Middle hitter Shannon Neville led the team with 15 points against Nipissing, while outside hitter Kelsey Bishop added 14. Against Nipissing, the team looked to close out sets and did just that, finishing off the match quickly. “We had an opportunity to close out the York match, which we didn’t,” Christian-Macfarlane said. “Against Nipissing, it was important that we took care of business.” After this weekend, the team has played over a quarter of their games and sit in a reasonably good position to make a playoff push later in the season. The team will face the Lakehead Thunderwolves next weekend as they head out on the road to Thunder Bay. With four games remaining in 2013, Christian-Macfarlane is optimistic that the team can make
ON DECK CIRCLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
@ Western Mustangs (7-4-0).
Friday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m.: Gaels (2-2) @ Laurier Golden Hawks (3-1).
MEN’S HOCKEY
Saturday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m.: Gaels @ Waterloo Warriors (1-2). MEN’S BASKETBALL Friday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m.: Gaels (3-1) @ Laurier Golden Hawks (2-2). Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m.: Gaels @ Waterloo Warriors (1-2). WOMEN’S HOCKEY Saturday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m.: Gaels (8-0-3) @ Windsor Lancers (5-5-1). Sunday, Nov. 17, 4 p.m.: Gaels
Friday, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels (5-0-4) @ Guelph Gryphons (5-5-0). Saturday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Gaels @ Western Mustangs (5-3-0). WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Friday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.: Gaels (3-2) @ Lakehead Thunderwolves (2-4). MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Friday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m.: Gaels (3-1) @ Waterloo Warriors (5-2). Saturday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m.: Gaels @ McMaster Marauders (4-0).
a push for the fourth-place spot. The Gaels’ final matchup of the first half of the season will be a good indication of how much the team has progressed during the year. On Nov. 29, they’ll host the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who swept the Gaels in their season opener.
Cross-Country
Nation’s fastest Women claim two of three CIS medals B y S ean S utherland Assistant Sports Editor Two podium finishes won Queen’s women a bronze medal at the CIS championships. Bolstered by standout races from second-year Julie-Anne Staehli and fifth-year Victoria Coates, the women’s team snagged third place at last weekend’s national meet in London. The Gaels men finished fifth in the nation for the second consecutive year. Two weeks after finishing second at the OUA championships, Staehli triumphed in the women’s six-kilometre race with a time of 20:51.4. She was 17 seconds faster than the second-place finisher, the Guelph Gryphons’ Carise Thompson. The gold medal was the first for a Gael since 2003. Along with the first-place finish, Staehli received cross-country Athlete of the Year honours. “Julie-Anne performed brilliantly,” head coach Steve Boyd told the Journal via e-mail. “Once she moved with 1500 metres to go, there was never any doubt she would win. The only surprise was the complete ease with which [she] dropped Victoria and the Guelph girls.” Staehli wasn’t the only Gael to find the podium, as Coates capped off her university career with a bronze medal. The veteran nearly caught Thompson in the final 100 metres and finished less than a second away from a silver medal. “Victoria was, once again, outstanding,” Boyd said. “The
course and conditions just did not suit her as much as those at OUAs.” The two runners’ individual performances paved the way for the third-place finish, one spot higher than the team’s finish at the provincial level. The Gaels finished with 112 points, behind nine-time defending champion Guelph and the second-place Western Mustangs. The Gryphons also captured the men’s title, continuing their dominance of cross-country on the national level. Three top-25 finishes led Queen’s on the men’s side, with Jeff Archer, David Cashin and Tyson Loney finishing within 23 seconds of each other. The Gaels tallied 140 total points, 50 back of the third-place Laval Rouge et Or. “The men were actually outstanding in finishing fifth, which was one spot better than their national ranking going in,” Boyd said. “With the loss of veteran Nick McGraw to a virus, our chances [of] replicating our performance from last year were looking grim, but the guys got it done.” McGraw wasn’t the only Gael unable to compete, as the women’s team was without second-year Charlotte Dunlap due to injury. Despite the missing runners, Boyd said both squads met expectations at nationals. “We did what we thought we could do,” he said. “We had the potential to go one [spot] higher on both sides, but that would have required that we be 100 per cent healthy going in.”
Sports
22 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
SPORTS IN BRIEF Split weekend for men’s volleyball Men’s volleyball suffered their first loss of the year, falling in five sets to the OUA-leading York Lions at the ARC last Friday. The Gaels (3-1) fell behind early, losing the opening set 25-23 and the second set 25-22, before rallying to win the third and fourth sets and force a deciding final frame.
In the end, Queen’s couldn’t top the Lions (6-2), losing the fifth set 15-9. The defeat was the Gaels’ second straight five-set loss to York, the other coming in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Outside hitters Philippe Goyer and Stephen Holmes led the team with 20 and 15 kills, respectively. The weekend wasn’t a total loss for the Gaels, as the next day they dominated the visiting Nipissing Lakers (1-7) in straight sets. Queen’s started the match strong, taking the first set 25-16. After winning the second set 25-23, the Gaels put the Lakers to rest in the third 25-15. Goyer once again led the team in kills with 11, while first-year setter Thomas Ellison contributed 30 assists in the match. The Gaels now head on the road to face the Waterloo Warriors (5-2) tonight, while the 4-0 McMaster Marauders await them tomorrow. — Sean Sutherland
PHOTOS BY JOSH TANG
Gaels rowers stand out at nationals They didn’t officially compete as Gaels, but Queen’s rowers earned several top results at the National Rowing Championships (NRCs). Inclement weather marred the annual Rowing Canada national regatta, held last weekend in Welland, Ont., but a bevy of current and former Gaels weren’t deterred from producing top results. The NRCs are separate from any Canadian university competition. Rowers compete for their respective home provinces, rather than a school or club crew. Third-year Gaels rower Matt Christie, who starred at the OUA Championships in St. Catharines on Oct. 26, brought home Queen’s top performance at the NRCs, snagging silver in the Under-23 men’s lightweight single race. Second-year Gael Larkin Davenport-Huyer also excelled at the U-23 level, claiming a bronze medal in the women’s single. Rookie Gaels Shane Mullen and Mark Bonar represented British Columbia in Welland, taking a third-place finish in the U-23 lightweight men’s pair. Two other rowers with local connections earned gold at the NRCs. Former Gael Nick Pratt won the senior lightweight men’s single and Kingston native Will Crothers triumphed in the senior men’s pair. Poor weather forced the cancellation of Saturday afternoon races. Championship races were held on Sunday by a series of individual time trials.
Queen’s lost their first game of the year, but beat lacklustre Nipissing.
Follow @QJSports.
— Nick Faris
SPORTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013
Gaels overwhelmed in Yates Cup B Y J OSH B URTON Staff Writer Sometimes, you just get beaten by the better team. That was the case last Saturday, as the Western Mustangs defeated the Queen’s Gaels by a decisive score of 51-22 to capture the 106th Yates Cup. The win marked Western’s 30th Yates Cup victory in program history, an OUA best. The Mustangs outmatched the Gaels in nearly every facet of the game, scoring 45 unanswered points in the second and third quarters as they cruised to the championship. “[Western] is a great team — they’re fully balanced, they’ve got good talent everywhere,” said Gaels head coach Pat Sheahan. “To go out there and beat them you have to have a great day. “Congratulations to them. They’re the champions.” Queen’s looked like they had a shot at an upset early on, leading Western 5-3 at the end of first quarter. Several big plays, including a punt block and fumble recovery, resulted in Gaels’ drives beginning inside Mustangs territory, but Queen’s was unable to come away with a touchdown on either possession. Western finally found its offensive groove in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns to take a 25-5 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Gaels’ last chance at salvaging the game came on a last-minute, 57-yard drive in the second, but kicker Dillon Wamsley’s 25-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. “I think we had some opportunities to get ahead, couldn’t do it, and it came back to haunt us when they had some pretty good production with the wind,” Sheahan said.
Western’s defence sacked quarterback Billy McPhee five times and held Queen’s to 136 yards of offence in the first three quarters. The Gaels managed just 96 rushing yards all game, their lowest total of the season. Through three quarters, the Gaels’ offence was outscored by Western kicker Liam Hajrullahu’s four kickoff singles. McPhee was out of rhythm until the fourth quarter, throwing two interceptions and generally failing to move the offense up the field. He finished with 275 yards and two touchdowns, but most of the production came in the fourth quarter once the game was far out of reach. “Mistakes on my part especially hurt us,” McPhee said. “The devastating part is [Western’s defence] really didn’t do anything differently. They managed to get after the passer … and they may have some of the most underrated linebackers in the country.” The Mustangs put up 50 points on the Gaels for the second time this season — more a testament to Western’s relentless offence than deficiencies in the Gaels’ defence. Second-year quarterback Will Finch threw for an efficient 252 yards and threw touchdowns, adding 77 rushing yards on 12 attempts. He rarely threw deep, instead dissecting the Gaels’ coverage with short and mid-range passes. Western’s offensive line was dominant, stopping the Gaels from recording any sacks and consistently opening running lanes for tailback Yannick Harou, who finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns. “They run their offence,” said defensive lineman Derek Wiggan. “We gave them stuff, and they made plays. In big games, good teams are going to capitalize on that.”
QUEENSJOURNAL.CA
• 23
Wins up, fins up
Sam Sabourin (left) was one of seven Gaels named first-team OUA All-Stars. Continued from page 19
Defence saw the emergence of third-year defensive back Yann Dika-Balotoken, a centrepiece of Queen’s vaunted “fins up” secondary. He snared five interceptions in his breakout season, returning two for majors in a 31-24 victory over the McMaster Marauders. The veteran Gaels’ squad has a number of graduating seniors ending five-year careers, including Granberg; defensive back T.J. Chase-Dunawa; offensive linemen Josh Prinsen, Mike Sullivan, Matt Kendrick and Derek Morris; defensive lineman John
ACROSS
1. FREQUENTLY, IN VERSE 4. AUTO FUEL 7. MAINTAINED 11. “WINNIE-THE- —” 13. WEB ADDRESS 14. SANDWICH COOKIE 15. FRANC REPLACEMENT 16. CHINESE CHAIRMAN 17. INCITE 18. SCALE 20. EMPLOYER 22. LISTENER 24. DIMINUTIVE 28. MAINE ENTREE 32. HERRINGBONE, E.G. 33. JAI FOLLOWER 34. MUTT 36. ASTRINGENT 37. NIP 39. BEER CONTAINERS 41. “— ON A PLANE” 43. PHYS ED 44. BOTTLE PART 46. OCTET NUMBER 50. KARAOKE PROP 53. DUSTCLOTH 55. APPROACH 56. HIGH CARDS 57. STORM CENTER 58. BIG PARTY 59. CRIBBAGE SCORERS 60. COURT 61. TRIGGER’S RIDER
DOWN
1. OIL CARTEL ACRONYM 2. OUT OF PLAY 3. ACTRESS SPELLING 4. WRIGLEY PRODUCT 5. BEDOUIN 6. SINGLE-MASTED VESSEL 7. PARTY FOR THE NEW NEIGHBORS 8. BLUNDER 9. LOWER LIMB 10. FEMALE DEER 12. SUMMER CAMPER’S NOSTALGIA
PHOTO BY SAM KOEBRICH
Miniaci; and receiver Justin Chapdelaine. With so many graduating starters, and the potential for any of Aprile, linebacker Sam Sabourin and defensive back Andrew Lue to test their luck in the CFL, there are many openings for younger players. Dika-Balotoken will need to continue his excellent performance as a big-play leader on the defence. Running backs Jesse Andrews and Jonah Pataki must combine to provide a one-two punch from the backfield. Although the 2014 season appears to be one of transition, the Gaels will have enough talent to compete for a top-two OUA finish and push deep into the playoffs.
19. CUDGEL 21. HARDEN 23. SCARLET 25. — E. COYOTE 26. HEBREW MONTH 27. “DESIRE UNDER THE —” 28. TRACK CIRCUITS 29. ACTRESS LENA 30. “HULK” ACTOR ERIC 31. STEAL FROM 35. JOKE 38. HAW LEAD-IN 40. REUBEN BREAD 42. THREADED FASTENER 45. PUT DOWN FOR THE COUNT 47. PARAPHERNALIA 48. HEAD LIGHT? 49. SALVER 50. GPS’ PAPER COUNTERPART 51. HOCKEY SURFACE 52. ST. BERNARD’S BURDEN 54. EARTH (PREF.)
LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS
24 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 15, 2013
postscript Business
The social market
Social media is an integral source of promotion for businesses B y J essica C hong Blogs Editor
To create a relatable rapport with customers, business can take the leap to social media. With the right leveraging of social media, small businesses can use online conversation and interaction to boost their marketability. The student-run Tricolour Outlet capitalizes on their online presence by marketing to their social media-savvy peers as customers. Compared to other AMS services, Tricolour Outlet is pretty new, Jacky Lam, marketing manager of Tricolour Outlet, said. The store is an amalgamation of three separate student services that existed in 2010. “We have had the [Facebook and Twitter] account since two or three years ago, but it didn’t get too big until last year,” Lam, ArtSci ’14, said. With each Facebook and Twitter post, Lam stresses the importance of student-relevant and visual content. “As you can see this year, most, I would say 90 per cent of the posts I’ve posted have a picture attached to it,” Lam,
an external hire who has been working for Tricolour for six months, said. “I try to make it as appealing and attention-catching as possible.” Aside from promoting local shows and events, photos of store merchandise share a uniform appearance. “It’s really heritage-y, a little hipster,” Lam said. “It’s a really united feeling throughout and then that’s how we kind of set the tone.” Instagram, likewise, becomes a quick and convenient way to promote new in-store merchandise where, Lam said, their feed is directly connected to their website, which launched this year. “When we have a new product and we don’t have time to shoot a professional catalogue picture, we’ll rely on Instagram,” Lam said. Cyndy Gibson, owner of Princess St. boutiques Agent 99 and Blueprint, admits that she’s often taxed with running the retail side of her store, but said she wouldn’t have it any other way. “That’s what we signed up for is having that connection to the customer and translating it online,” she said.
Gibson, who opened her first boutique when she was 22, is a strong supporter of the community. She’s sponsored numerous school fashion shows and hosted trunk shows in support of local food banks. “I think what really has to be your branding is that you still have your foot in the local scene,” she said, “and you have to be authentic.” Though Gibson handles her store’s social media accounts herself, she allows a handful of her staff access to post, some of whom run their own personal blog or study marketing. “I like the different perspectives of the different people who work here,” she said. Gibson said that social media isn’t about solely promoting in-store merchandise. Comical images of fashion mishaps and funny animal pictures add a playful touch to Agent 99’s online presence. “I think people will drop off if you strictly advertise,” Gibson said. Instagram also allows her to understand her users on a more personal level, and she was amazed at the positive response and engagement after school
Statistics demonstrate the benefits of using social media to market small businesses to their consumers.
Cyndy Gibson runs the social media for her stores.
Photo By Jessica Chong
broker, and he doesn’t sit all semi-formals and grads. “People would hashtag us in day on Twitter talking about some of their pictures with their insurance,” Bearse said. “He family and so on like, ‘thanks sits all day on Twitter talking Agent 99!’” she said. “I love to people about the city that — that tells us we’re doing a of Ottawa.” Bearse said that social media good job.” Gibson explains that she thrives shouldn’t be a “broadcast mechanism,” but a means to off of the online interaction. “That’s what we like,” she said, engage with and foster a sense “that we still have that connection of community and trust. “You have to learn that to our customers.” Neil Bearse, the associate your brand is actually people,” director of marketing at the Queen’s he said. Social media, he said, is a School of Business, explains that small businesses need to powerful tool that transcends engage in conversation with the static nature of radio and users on Twitter rather than TV advertising — it allows concentrating solely on business brands to interact with consumers on a more personal level. advertising or promotions. “I look at David’s Tea and “I have a really good friend in Ottawa — he’s an insurance the way that they handle their Twitter account,” Bearse said. “It’s the kind of writing that allows customer[s] to say, ‘yeah, I like these guys. These are my kind of people.’” Bearse said that social media allows companies to learn about their customers, and can be mobilized best as a story-telling opportunity. “[Successful corporations] also provide their customers with a lot of great content they can use and share with their friends as well.” For smaller businesses, time and resources may be difficult to allocate to social media, he said. “In a lot of cases, again, it’s a lack of resources [and] time,” he said, “and secondly, a deep understanding of what the possibilities are like beyond broadcast.” To be successful, a sustainable and interactive online presence is important, Bearse said. “On the local side, the organizations that have done things well are those who have … really treated social media as part of a long-term journey towards building relationships through conversation,” he said. Bearse said that social media gives companies the means to put customer service on offence. “I can’t think of a single organization that wouldn’t want to come across as human, friendly, caring, helpful — you just couldn’t do that [with] TV or print or radio,” he said. Graphic By Jessica Chong