The Queen's Journal, Volume 146, Issue 6

873

the

Queen’s University

journal

Vol. 146, Issue 6

F r i d ay , S e p t e m b e r 2 1 , 2 0 1 8

Since 1873

AMS seeks JDUC architect before vote Society President says request for proposal requires architect to consult students I ain S herriff -S cott News Editor

The AMS is officially searching for an architect to re-design the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC).

A student fee hasn’t yet been secured for the project.

According to AMS President Miguel Martinez, the Society has worked with Physical Plant Services over the last few months in preparation for the release of a

request for proposal (RFP).

On Aug. 15, the RFP went out and all bids for the project were due on Sept. 12.

Martinez told AMS Assembly the Society has received 18 applications from different firms bidding for the project.

“The RFP requests that the selected architect have four separate consultations with students. Those consultations will be with AMS Assembly, Clubs Caucus, an open town hall for all, and a full day with AMS service managers,” Martinez wrote in his

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statement to AMS Assembly.

Last year, the AMS held a referendum on Feb. 12 to 13 to secure a student fee of $89.00 for the project. The vote narrowly failed.

When asked at Assembly when a second referendum will occur concerning the JDUC, Martinez said a vote will “likely occur early second semester.”

Martinez also noted that the University has agreed to fund a $1 million bursary for students who may not be able to pay the full student fee, if it passes.

“Even if the students now may not necessarily benefit or get use of the new building, it is important that we as student leaders continue to think of students in future years as much as our students here today,” Martinez wrote.

“Many of the success[es] that we have today [are] due to the commitment and forward thinking of previous student leaders.”

Ride-sharing bylaw put on hold by commission Kingston Area Taxi Commission pauses implementation of ride-share bylaw I ain S herriff -S cott News Editor

Activists gathered together on Sept. 20 for Take Back the Night.

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Residence Society denies all responsibility in sexual assault case University claims to have followed “reasonable measures” to guarantee safety and security policies in Victoria Hall R aechel H uizinga Assistant News Editor The Residence Society has denied all liability in a sexual assault lawsuit recently brought against the University, according to a statement from their lawyer Michael Hickey.

Hickey is also the lawyer for the AMS and

The Journal.

“The Residence Society denies that there is any liability on the part of the Residence Society for the alleged instances described in the lawsuit,” Hickey wrote to The Journal in an email.

“As the matter is before the Courts, there will be no further comment by the Residence Society at this time.”

As previously reported in June, a former residence advisor is seeking nearly a million dollars in damages from Queen’s and defendants Ali Erfany and Mustafa Ahmadi in the Superior Court of Justice following multiple occasions of physical and sexual abuse.

At the time of the 2014 alleged assaults

in Victoria Hall, both defendants were employees of the Residence Society.

In her claim against the University, the plaintiff alleges Queen’s is vicariously liable for the assaults. She also claims that Queen’s doesn’t sufficiently educate students about sexual violence.

In a June 6 statement of defence, Queen’s denied all vicarious liability for the assaults, according to documents obtained by The Journal.

Queen’s claimed that because Erfany and Ahmadi were employees of Residence Society and not the University, Queen’s is not responsible for the incidents.

In its statement, Queen’s described

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Sir John A. Macdonald falls under scrutiny

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Queen’s should support working class students

Queen’s Reads’ Scarborough explores Toronto

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See Residence on page 4

The Kingston Area Taxi Commission (KATC) has put the brakes on a controversial bylaw, before its Sept.

15 implementation date, regulating ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft.

At a City Council meeting on Sept. 19, a KATC representative said the City of Toronto v. Uber 2015 ruling found Transportation Networking Companies (TNC), like Uber, aren’t taxi brokers.

As a result, the Commission doesn’t have the authority to regulate ride-sharing companies.

The Commission has been working for nearly three years to do so.

The KATC didn’t respond to The Journal’s request for comment.

Chloe Draeger, KATC Commissioner, said the body should follow other Ontario municipalities’ lead when drafting new regulations.

“I’m convinced that the only reasonable and workable path forward is creating a set of regulations that meet the best practices established in most other jurisdictions in Ontario,” she said.

When the Commission originally voted on the bylaw several months ago, Draeger voted in opposition.

“We need a regulatory structure that works for both the drivers and the riders,” she said.

A potential hurdle is also the Competition Bureau of Canada, which is an independent law enforcement agency tasked with ensuring fair business conditions.

In an interview, James Litchfield, a local resident and full-time Uber driver, said he contacted the Bureau in early See Uber on page 4

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Hickson aims for rugby all-star status

Exchange student details goals for time at Queen’s

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News

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Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Law professor speaks out against Notwithstanding Clause use Nicholas Bala is a signatory on open letter to Attorney General of Ontario Rachel Aiken Assistant News Editor Protesters boast colourful signs at Take Back the Night.

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Event-goers write postcards to Premier Ford about sexual education.

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

to Ontario Attorney General Caroline Mulroney, Bala stressed the rarity of using the Notwithstanding Clause.

The letter outlined the expectation that “the Attorney General of Ontario [will] value the role of the judiciary and the important check that the courts have on the impulses of the government.”

“We are gravely concerned about Premier Doug Ford’s proposed use of the Notwithstanding Clause to pass Bill 5 and are writing this letter to urge you not the support this unprecedented act,” the letter read.

“To use it is to set a very dangerous precedent that will threaten the future rights of all Canadians and jeopardize respect for the rule of law.”

The letter described the province’s actions as having “clearly crossed the line.”

Bala told The Journal of primary concern are comments Ford made to reporters earlier in September, when he said he “won’t be shy” to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause in the future.

“The issue was the comments and the attitude that the premier took to the rule of law—that was a concern to me. And the other signatories, as well as his comments about the future.”

On Sept. 12, Nicholas Bala, a professor in the Faculty of Law, added his name to an open letter condemning Premier Doug Ford’s use of the Notwithstanding Clause.

Over the last two weeks, Ford has prompted outrage when he announced his plan to cut the Toronto city council from 47 councillors to 25—only weeks before a municipal election.

On Sept. 10, Superior Court Justice, Edward Belobaba, ruled the Ford government’s Bill 5 as unconstitutional.

Days later, the Premier invoked the Notwithstanding Clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to supersede the court ruling that found his municipal council plans unconstitutional.

Bala, a long-time professor of law, told The Journal, “most Canadians would see [the Notwithstanding Clause] as an exceptional remedy, for example in situations where national security is at stake.”

One of 80 other professors — With files from Raechel Huizinga to sign the letter addressed and Madison Bendall.

Kingston takes back the night Downtown march returns for annual event Raechel Huizinga Assistant News Editor On Thursday night, students and Kingston residents gathered at Confederation Basin to march for Take Back the Night—an annual event protesting sexual and domestic violence.

On its 40th anniversary, Sexual Assault Centre Kingston (SAC) chose the theme “reclaiming our bodies, our spaces, our voices” in an effort to raise awareness about sexual and domestic violence.

Samantha Golladay, the Projects Coordinator for SAC, told The Journal about the steps they’ve taken to make the event more inclusive.

“Take Back the Night is to traditionally take back the night against violence for women and children,” Golladay said. “But we’ve opened up the event to male-identifying people as well as anyone who would like to come and take back their voice or

their bodies against violence or discrimination that they face.”

This year the event was supported by the Vogue Charity Fashion Show, which raises funds every year for an organization of their choice.

Other organizations in attendance included Kingston Interval House, Consensual Humans at Queen’s University, and the Elementary Teachers Federation Ontario.

In an interview, Brea Hutchinson, the executive director of SAC Kingston, stressed the importance of Take Back the Night.

“Walking through the hub at 2 a.m. exposes someone to a lot more trans-violence, gender-based violence, and race-based violence, and so we’re taking a day to make our opposition to that heard,” Hutchinson said. “We’re taking up some space, we’re celebrating our movements, and we’re being heard and seen.”

“We have built so much over the last forty years and we have come so far in the last ten years,” she said.

“It just makes me feel so inspired to see where we could be ten years from now.”

Barb Lotan—Queen’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response

Coordinator—also attended the event.

“We’ve been working a really long time to change attitudes about violence against women and sexual violence,” Lotan told The Journal. “This event is really important because it reminds us all again that we still have work to do.”

The event also protested the Ford Government’s recent decision to revert the 2015 sexual education curriculum to the version implemented in 1998.

Attendees wrote post cards to Premier Doug Ford, and signed a petition called “We Have Your Back,” to reinstate the 2015 curriculum.

Molly Brenette, the status of women chair for the Elementary Teachers Federation Ontario Limestone Local, spoke at the event about the Ford Government’s reversion to the old sexual education curriculum.

“Lately, there’s been a shameful event in public education that astounds educators,” Brenette told the crowd. “I need to give voice to all of my students, regardless of gender and outside of a binary.”

“When we know better as a society, we should do better.”

Premier Doug Ford.

PHOTO BY SEBASTIAN BRON

News in Brief City calls on residents to help bring popular downtown intersection to life Members of the Kingston community now have the chance to help design the future of one of the city ’s most populous and high-traffic intersections—Princess Street and Division Street.

As part of the city’s new Hub Project, the intersection’s revitalization will be the focus of public engagement at an event on the corner of Princess Street and Barrie Street on Sept. 29 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Members of the general public

are invited to contribute their ideas for artwork that will present a modern backdrop for the bustling intersection. Specific details about collaborating artists have yet to be announced.

The city’s Cultural Director Colin Wiginton said, “Active and lively public places are key to making Kingston a smart and livable 21st-century city.”

“The Hub Project is an exciting opportunity to make this iconic gateway to downtown Kingston look and feel as vibrant as the neighborhoods it connects.”

—Jasnit Pabla

News

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Student Wellness Services offers new mindfulness programs

Mental health workshops expanded for academic year RETRIEVED FROM STUDENT WELLNESS SERVICES

La Salle building.

Rachel Aiken Assistant News Editor Student Wellness Services (SWS) has expanded their range of mental health programs

available to students—including a new mindfulness program.

The new programs are the result of feedback from students and student leaders in collaboration

with SWS staff.

Open to both graduate and undergraduate students, the programs are free and drop-in accessible. An SWS team member or a community representative

MLM outlines priorities at assembly Assembly passes governance budgets, discusses JDUC redesign Iain Sherriff-Scott News Editor On Thursday night, AMS Assembly met in Wallace Hall for its first meeting of the academic year.

Members passed the Society’s governance budgets, approved members of the Judicial Committee, and discussed issues ranging from the University District Safety Initiative, to the JDUC redevelopment project.

In an omnibus motion,

assembly passed all AMS University District Safety Initiative. governance budgets, baring budgets for the Secretariat’s Alcohol Harm Reduction Office and the Vice-President Program (University Affairs) on account of clerical errors.

AMS President Miguel Martinez Assembly also motioned to reported Orientation Week confirm seven nominations to the leaders received a test harm Judicial Committee—including its reduction workshop. new chair, Seema Sidhu.

In a statement, he wrote Students confirmed as the participants’ expressed an members of the Committee “overwhelming amount of support are Victoria Gudzak, James for the workshop.” Despite this, Taptelis, Noah Brennen, Mahad an incident in the workshop Ali Asif, Max Teitelbaum, and meant many students were Jeremy Jingwei. uncomfortable, leading Martinez Additionally, Kingston Mayor to promise it would be reviewed.

Brian Patterson, and Interim The review aims to ensure that Provost and Vice-Principal what goes into [the workshop] (Academics) Tom Harris, were is factual, appropriate, and does guest speakers at assembly. The not create an environment where pair took questions on the new students feel uncomfortable.”

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with professional expertise will lead the workshops.

In a statement to The Journal, SWS Health Promotion Coordinator Beth Blackett, wrote, “For many students, workshops or group programs are a way to get the support or information they need.”

We want to offer a range of services to be as inclusive as possible.”

The new selection of programs features everything from mood walks to sessions on dealing with adversity.

Additionally, it includes 40 Minute Focus, a weekly guided meditation session aimed at de-stressing students. The Mind & Method Workshops offer a different focus with each session. The overall aim is to provide students with the skills to better manage their mental health.

“Last year we offered some of the workshops as well as drop-in mindfulness sessions.

This year, we have expanded the offerings to include some new ones (i.e. mood walks, 40-minute focus, and ask the expert),” Blackett wrote.

“We have also offered therapy groups in the past that were referral only. However, we have expanded the number we are offering this term and we are working to make them more accessible to all students.”

SWS hopes group therapy and workshops will be more f l ex i b l e options fo r

AMS President Miguel Martinez.

students than waiting for one-on-one appointments.

“We also talk to other universities to see what they offer that has had a positive response from students and look at best practices in supporting student well-being,” Blackett added.

Another program—being developed alongside Student Academic Success Services—takes

Open to both graduate and undergraduate students, the programs are free and drop-in accessible.

inspiration from an initiative at Ryerson University.

This coming winter semester program will centre on second and third-year students who’ve struggled with their health, and subsequently, their academics, in the fall semester.

“We are now also starting to focus more on mental health promotion and what students can do to build ‘mental fitness,’ as well as offering programs that support students in enhancing the skills and strategies they have to cope,” Blackett wrote.

“There are limits in what we can offer but we are fortunate to have the hospital and other community supports when needs are outside the scope of Student Wellness Services.”

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

INFORMATION FOR ALL STUDENTS IMPACTED

BY SEXUAL VIOLENCE GET HELP, GIVE HELP queensu.ca/sexualviolencesupport Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Coordinator, Barb Lotan bjl7@queensu.ca

AMS Executive, team MLM. From left to right: Tharpe, Martinez, Watters.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

News

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Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Competition Bureau alerted of Uber bylaw Continued from front ...

August to file a complaint against the bylaw—which was slated to come into effect on Sept. 15.

Litchfield said until he discovered the Competition Bureau of Canada, he thought “all we could do was really protest” the KATC’s bylaw.

After Litchfield and a colleague filed complaints with the Bureau, he was asked for an interview with a law enforcement officer. Litchfield said he spoke with the officer about the bylaw, but the Bureau wouldn’t confirm to him that his complaint was the reason for the bylaw being pulled.

Litchfield said it “felt good” to file the complaint.

“I felt that the Commission didn’t have Kingston’s best interests at heart. I felt the Commission was protecting the taxi industry too much,” he said.

The regulations Litchfield took issue with

were the limiting of ride-sharing cars and a ban on business partnerships between ride-sharing companies and local businesses or institutions—on top of added expenses he experienced.

It’s like if I owned a pizza shop and I told my supplier, ‘Oh you can’t deliver your pizza supplies to my competition.’

—Uber Driver, James Litchfield

Citing his Competition Bureau complaint, Litchfield said he also opposed the ban on Under the bylaw, companies like Uber local business collaboration. “It’s like if I could operate a maximum of 50 cars at any owned a pizza shop and I told my supplier, given time, with a total cap of 150 cars. “The ‘Oh you can’t deliver your pizza supplies to 50 car rule, that just doesn’t work, especially my competition.’ when the Queen’s students are here,” Draeger said in her opinion, regulations he said. governing ride-sharing should be

Residence Society a ‘separately incorporated entity’ Continued from front ...

the Residence Society as a “separately incorporated entity” and filed a crossclaim against the two defendants stating they “were acting entirely outside the scope and authority, express or implied, of their roles with Queen’s.”

Queen’s also stated Erfany and Ahmadi acted “without the knowledge or acquiescence of Queen’s.”

In an interview with The Journal in June, the plaintiff said, “before and after these

Commissioners and taxi industry representatives at City Hall.

incidents, I didn’t feel safe in my learning environment, and also in my working environment, being an employee.”

In response to their statement, Queen’s denied that Victoria Hall was unsafe, stating it took “reasonable measures” to guarantee safety and security policies were followed.

The University requested the plaintiff’s damages claim be dismissed, stating they’re “excessive” and “exaggerated.”

Queen’s also denied any contribution to the plaintiff’s alleged “negative life experiences.”

PHOTO BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT

created by lawmakers, rather than an unelected commission.

“As a voter, as a Kingston resident, I am very inclined towards important decisions being made by lawmakers who are elected and accountable,” she said.

“That’s where solutions like this—that affect people’s lives—should be vested.”

Campus radio promotes research

Rachel Aiken Assistant News Editor

Campus radio station CFRC 101.9 hopes to discuss ongoing research at Queen’s with the return of Blind Date with Knowledge and Grad Chat.

Blind Date with Knowledge, a radio show and podcast, is a collaboration between the Office of the Vice-Principal (University Relations), CFRC, and host Barry Kaplan—a Kingston community member. It hopes to make information about ongoing research at the University more accessible.

“Knowledge mobilization and translation is an increasingly important aspect of the research process,” said Associate Director of Research Profile and Initiative, Melinda Knox.

“It’s not always easy to explain one’s research to non-specialists, but the show provides an

interactive, fun and engaging platform to do this successfully.”

Grad Chat, a show first aired in Jan. 2016, shines the spotlight on Queen’s graduate and post-doctoral research. Working with the School of Graduate Studies, the show has hosted over 130 guests.

It aims to promote the student experience and open the door to Queen’s research.

“These research-focused radio shows and podcasts are a creative and accessible way for non-specialists to learn about the breadth and depth of the research being conducted by both faculty and grad students at Queen’s,” said Interim Vice-Principal (Research) Kimberly Woodhouse.

Blind Date with Knowledge will air bi-weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Grad Chat will host guests every Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Don't Be Late Nominate!!

Special Recognition for Staff Award Nominations This award recognizes staff members who consistently provide outstanding contributions during their workday, directly or indirectly, to the learning and working environment at Queen's University at a level significantly beyond what is usually expected (e.g. improving the workplace efficiency, quality of worklife, customer service, problem-solving, etc.)

Information and nomination forms are available from: http://www.queensu.ca/humanresources/eventsrecognition/special-recognition-staff-awards

DEADLINE: October 15, 2018

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Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Features

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IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Canada’s founding father divides Kingston John A. Macdonald’s presence at Queen’s and in the city comes under scrutiny

Samantha Fink Features Editor Anywhere you turn in Kingston, there are ghosts of John A. Macdonald.

His name and face are plastered on ten statues and 13 public schools across the country, as well as on the ten-dollar bill.

In Kingston, historical plaques and dedications cover the city and its landmarks, including Queen’s law building.

Despite his omnipresence, the Father of Confederation helped administer the Indian Act and residential schools, which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called cultural genocide in their Final Report of 2015.

The schools were established to force Indigenous children’s assimilation into Euro-Canadian culture, becoming notorious for rampant physical and sexual abuse.

This history is coming home. ***

When Queen’s was founded in 1841, Macdonald was a young man kicking off a law career in Kingston.

He played a role in the establishment of the University, and was an active member in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church—participating in meetings that eventually resulted in the creation of Queen’s.

Macdonald seconded the motion to establish what was then called Queen’s College, and supported the university throughout its creation process during the early 1840s.

In 1853, a meeting about creating a medical school at Queen’s took place at Macdonald’s Kingston home.

He was later considered for the position of the First Chancellor of Queen’s. Reverend John Cook, however, was chosen instead.

In 1863, Macdonald was awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Law—an award that recognized his law career in Kingston and his supporting role in the founding of Queen’s.

In 1960, Queen’s would name their law building after him, even though he never actually studied there.

After all this history, Macdonald’s legacy is being challenged.

John A. Today

For the average Queen’s law student, Macdonald’s name may mean nothing more than a building.

For Lauren Winkler and Sophia Gabbani, Law ‘20, it comes with a painful history.

Before Winkler came to Queen’s law school, she spoke to a fellow Indigenous friend about the meaning behind the building she’d soon study in daily. “He said, ‘Every time

John A. Macdonald’s legacy is coming into question.

I walk into that building, I think about my family members who were in residential schools and taken a way as c h i l d r e n ,’ ” Winkler said.

“Ever since that day that [he] told me that, I [thought], ‘I don’t want any other Indigenous student to ever feel like that.’”

It’s for this reason that Winkler and Gabbani are members of the Indigenous Law Students’ Alliance (ILSA). At the end of the current academic year, they plan on appealing to the Board of Trustees to get the name of the building changed.

“It’s not just this symbol of the past,” Gabbani said. “It’s a painful reminder of colonial violence every time you walk by it, every time you walk into the law school or see the statue.”

“You carry that with you for the rest of the day and bring that with you into classes.”

And it’s not limited to campus.

Last January, a popular pub on King Street, formerly known as Sir John’s Public House, changed its name to The Public House.

Paul Fortier, owner of The Public House, said the decision to change the name of the pub was diplomatic.

The purpose was “not to reject John A. Macdonald—just to be more inclusive.”

Located in Macdonald’s old law office, Fortier opened the bar in

2011. While a bust of Macdonald is still on the wall, the decision to remove his name had a big impact on his business. “[The] military don’t like us anymore because we’re showing disrespect to Canada’s past, which is really not what we’re doing,” Fortier said.

After changing its name, Fortier received four death threats in two weeks.

“What we did very successfully was we pissed everybody off,” Fortier said.

For Warren Everett, President of the Kingston Historical Society (KHS), removing these references to Macdonald “merely polarizes the argument.”

It would be beneficial, in his view, to surround the monument with information to situate it in the context of its time—storyboards or pieces of information that acknowledge Macdonald’s successes and failures.

Everett feels that Macdonald’s founding of our nation is too often forgotten in the discussion of his legacy.

“We need to ask ourselves: if we hadn’t had Sir John, where would Canada be? Would there be a Canada?”

Where it leaves Queen’s

Natasha Stirrett, an Indigenous student at Queen’s and a Cultural

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Studies PhD candidate, has been an active part of protests against Macdonald in the past.

Although she isn’t a law student, she finds the law building a troubling tribute to a villain in her history.

“What kind of message does it send to students and the community to commemorate a historical figure on campus who was instrumental in orchestrating residential schools and mass genocide and murder against a marginalized group?”

Stirrett said.

“What are we teaching students?”

The law building can be a contradiction. Classroom discussions surrounding Indigenous history can often be positive, and there’s even an Indigenous art exhibition inside.

However, none of this erases the painful history that Macdonald’s name on the building represents.

“Of all places, I find it odd that [the law] building would be named after John A. Macdonald given the established evidence of his crimes against humanity,” Stirrett said.

In a statement to The Journal, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Queen’s, Bill Flanagan, said, “Queen’s Law has taken the 2015 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heart.”

“We remain committed to reconciliation, and also to respectful conversations about Sir John A. Macdonald and his legacy that accommodate different views and welcome the input of all interested parties.”

In regards to the name of the faculty’s building, Flanagan said a discussion with “the entire university community” would need to take place.

However, for the students of ILSA, the efforts the law school have made haven’t been enough.

“We will never reach true reconciliation while the name of our building is John. A. Macdonald Hall,” Gabbani said.

Michael Doxtater, an Assistant Professor in the Languages, Literatures and Cultures department at Queen’s, looks at the issue differently.

“On my reserve, there is no John A. Macdonald anything,” Doxtater said. “It’s not our problem. It’s your problem. You have to come to grips with the truth of your history, not us. We already know the truth about your history.”

In his opinion, the removal of Macdonald’s reference simply isn’t practical.

“Take all that money you’d use to change names and give it back to my people,” Doxtater said. “We have bigger fish to fry.”

As Director of Indigenous Initiatives at Queen’s, Janice Hill finds herself somewhat caught in the middle.

Being an Indigenous member of the administration, she has the unique ability to understand Indigenous law students’ struggle and discomfort of carrying Macdonald’s name thoughout their school day.

When the time comes to discuss a name change, her Indigenous heritage and place in the school administration may come into conflict.

“I carry memory of that situation in my DNA because I come from those ancestors. There’s power in that,” Hill explained. “[A]t some point, I have to reclaim my own power and acknowledge that that happened, but not allow it to steal my personal power.”

According to students at ILSA, the law school could be more appropriately named after Robert Sutherland. As the first Canadian university graduate of colour—as well as an actual graduate of Queen’s law school— his legacy could be more fitting.

He also helped bail Queen’s out of bankruptcy in 1878.

Meanwhile, for Darian Doblej, an Indigenous law student and a new member of ILSA, the name of his faculty’s building is ironic.

“It was Sir John A. who said that an Indian who grew up educated in his culture is just an educated savage. And yet here I am, growing up in my culture, learning law in his hall.”

“Am I still that educated savage?”

6 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

EDITORIALS

The Journal’s Perspective

Josh Granovsky

LGBTQ+ students facing debt deserve university support As LGBTQ+ students face disproportionate student debt in Canada, it’s up to universities to support them in their struggles.

Forum Research has conducted the first Canadian survey on student debt accounting for sexual orientation, and it’s revealed LGBTQ+ students are more likely to rack up student debt and consequently make drastic lifestyle changes to get by.

According to the survey, 76 per cent of LGBTQ+ respondents said a student loan was essential to getting an education—compared to 68 per cent of non-LGBTQ+ students. 66 per cent LGBTQ+ individuals owed more than $10,000, compared with 50 per cent non-LGBTQ+.

Society benefits from well-educated young people. When our institutions allow debt to disproportionately affect marginalized people, they decide who benefits from education—and who can achieve the positions of professional and personal privilege that come from higher education.

Institutional privilege has consequences. It’s the responsibility of universities and colleges to implement actions that level the

playing field. The Forum Research poll brings this to the forefront.

Many LGBTQ+ students face a lack of emotional and financial familial support.

After coming out, these individuals may be kicked out of their homes or unexpectedly denied previously-promised tuition or rent.

This particularly impacts transgender students. Not only might their families deny them basic monetary support, but many students also face medical expenses their insurance doesn’t cover, from surgery to day-to-day needs such as chest binders.

Post-secondary education comes with countless restrictive expenditures: long-term housing, meal plans and hidden fees. Universities already offer supports for students struggling with these demands, from emergency student housing to various student wellness services.

But if a group on campus is overwhelmingly saddled with these concerns that restrict their capacity to access education, it’s a problem.

As student service providers, universities have the resources and obligation to improve crisis counselling services and develop an affordable range of housing and meal plans.

This might take time, and more research must be done—but now that this dialogue has started, it’s critical to take it further.

It’s unfair these students feel marginalized in so many ways for simply seeking educations. Financial instability and a lack of support when seeking education has lifelong repercussions.

If universities help students now, they’ll learn ways to generate income and establish healthier states of mind. Providing counsellors to assist with a young person’s mental health needs and offering financial planning resources could make a world of difference.

No student should ever feel prohibited by their desire to pursue higher education—and it’s incumbent on educational institutions to minimize that weight wherever possible.

— Journal Editorial Board

ILLUSTRATION BY ZIER ZHOU

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 146 Issue 6 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editors in Chief

Sebastian Bron

Nick Pearce

Production Manager

Julia Balakrishnan

News Editor

Iain Sherriff-Scott

Assistant News Editors

Rachel Aiken Madison Bendall Raechel huizinga

Features Editors

Samantha Fink Hannah Stafl

Editorials Editor

Meredith Wilson-Smith

Opinions Editor

Sophia Spencer

The age-old concept of “gentleman” describes a courteous man, specifically in his behaviour toward the opposite sex.

But in the midst of the #MeToo movement exposing men who think their power overrides sexual consent, society should integrate kindness toward women into our understanding of how a man should act.

Most people think of a gentleman as a tuxedo-clad man whose treatment of women is equal parts suave and considerate.

Tuxedo or not, being known for exceptional manners and respect for women is extremely positive.

If gentlemen are what society calls nice men, it appears the other, worse-behaved category we can identify as is simply men.

The New York Times reported on a study last week which found an overwhelming majority of boys believed strength and toughness were the most valued masculine characteristics. Further, most respondents believed society expects them to express anger through aggression or silence, and to conceal feelings of sadness or fear.

Another disturbing disparity in our distinction between men and gentlemen is the treatment of women, a subject currently examined at large by the #MeToo movement.

In the aforementioned study, 50 per cent of boys said men in their families had made sexual comments or jokes about women. These boys also reported feeling increased pressure to “play along” with the sexism they witnessed. Additionally, 82 per Hinano Kobayashi Samara Lijiam Samantha Misner Kyra Smith Alexandra Phillips

Brittany Giliforte Matt Scace

Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor

Maggie Gowland Josh Granovsky

Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor

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The world needs better men, not more gentlemen

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PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

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Contributing Staff Staff Writers and Photographers Lauren Trossman Contributors Max Bradshaw Cade Cowan

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For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editor in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions.

cent of boys said they’d heard someone criticize a male for “acting like a girl.”

The perception of women as both sexual objects and the weaker sex gives credence to patterns of men sexually abusing women.

The problem is that this is only now coming to the public’s attention.

The way society is raising its future men doesn’t correspond with how we consider gentlemen.

Gentlemen aren’t aggressive or emotionally closed-off; they treat women with care and aren’t afraid to speak honestly about how they’re feeling.

An opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal declared, in the face of #MeToo uncovering hordes of power-abusive men, the world needs “more gentlemen.” To me, it makes a lot more sense to define what it means to be a man with gentleman-like qualities from a young age.

The male population should take the current social climate as an opportunity to think about how we’ve conditioned ourselves to view manhood. We need to listen to women’s stories, reflect on our past behaviour, and show our allegiance through actions that lift women up to the same standards of respect we’ve always had.

To create more compassionate masculinity, we need to start treating gentleman-like behaviour as the norm. It’s time for society to retire the “gentleman” archetype so men don’t have to be anything other than men to respect women.

Josh is The Journal’s Lifestyle Editor. He’s a third-year film and media student.

The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston.

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Friday, Sept 21 2018

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OPINIONS

•7

Your Perspective

The difficulties of being a working class student How differences in socioeconomic backgrounds can affect the student experience Cowan feels Queen’s should be doing more to include students from less affluent backgrounds.

Cade Cowan , ArtSci ’19 Post-secondary institutions are more open and accessible to certain societal classes than they’ve ever been before.

Issues regarding racial, religious, sexual and gender discrimination have been—at least in part—addressed to better serve and accommodate increasingly diverse groups of students.

However, an area of importance in the student experience often left unaccounted for is the difference in social classes between young people.

With the rise of more financial and social diversity in Canadian universities, Queen’s has yet to confront the discrepancy among students who come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and upbringings.

New initiatives and policies, both from the federal and provincial levels, have allowed working-class students to access post-secondary education. Despite financial aid, however, students from low-income or working-class backgrounds still face challenges even once in school.

Similar to other groups facing adversity on campus, these students should be accommodated for their unique needs.

Coming from a family with two working-class parents, I can speak with authority on this subject.

For someone from a low-income background, the ability to trade upwards in terms of class is one of the most important reasons

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

for seeking higher education—namely, because you’re aiming to leave yourself better off than where you came from.

From a young age, my parents instilled in me the important and essential benefits of higher education. They desperately didn’t want me to relive their lives and pushed me to succeed in school.

Although I made it to Queen’s with their help, most financial barriers I currently face arose once I arrived on campus. Paying tuition presents challenges, sure, but a fair share of the monetary drawbacks I’ve experienced have been indirect.

Taking part in the university experience and its culture has issues that aren’t as straightforward as paying out your debts. In other words, the costs to attend post-secondary education go beyond just tuition and textbooks.

There are costs associated with almost every part of the university experience. Some post-secondary essentials are underfunded or not funded at all by the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), such as extra-curricular club fees, rent and food.

This can ultimately make some students feel like outsiders because they lack the resources necessary to fully participate and integrate into the complete university experience.

Understandably, some of the issues students hailing from less affluent backgrounds concern their schooling. For instance, taking notes in a cheap notebook while your peers click away at their MacBook’s can have a

profound effect on one’s sense of belonging.

But a plenty of issues students face actually extend beyond the confines of a classroom.

The element of one’s social life, for example, often flies under the radar in regards to how financial insecurity affects student wellness.

Going out with friends comes with costs that prevent working-class students from fully enjoying their time at university.

When young people pursuing post-secondary education are tasked with paying off their financial debts, they run the risk of missed opportunities to make friends, meet partners, and live a happier, more balanced lifestyle like other students.

Whereas students from upper-class families can choose whether they’d like to have a job during the academic year, the less fortunate can’t due to crippling debts and living expenses.

Most of the time, they must sacrifice either their grades or social lives—or both—to simply stay afloat.

The ability or capacity to network is also often unavailable to students from working-class backgrounds.

People underestimate the weight family connections can hold on one’s professional and academic career. It can make a big difference.

It can be as benign as professional advice or internships—regardless, you’re left off with more job prospects coming out of university. These types of socioeconomic differences for less affluent students diminish their chances of more easily

shifting over to the middle or upper-class after school.

There’s nothing wrong with networking or using connections to progress. But Queen’s should at least compensate and understand these avenues for career advancement aren’t available to everyone.

The greatest barrier these factors create, is the sense of inclusion working-class students must try adversely hard to join.

We’re a product of our experiences. The differences between how middle and working-class people communicate may seem trivial on the surface, but they eventually aggregate into a larger social dissonance.

It creates a divide in our understanding of each other.

Things such as private versus public education or owning versus renting property might seem like small differences among people who share similar socioeconomic standings.

Over the long term, they create drastic differences in values, beliefs and even ways of communicating.

These differences in experience often make working-class students feel like they don’t belong or have a place amongst people who have much more than they do. It results in them not knowing how to enter the culture of higher education and wealth, let alone be successful in it.

When people talk about their European vacation or family cruise upon their return in September, I feel like an alien—because I have no frame of reference for what that’s like.

Altogether, these barriers have

the potential to be detrimental to working-class students’ careers and futures, which defeats the purpose of why people should pursue post-secondary education.

The access we have to higher education should improve our ability to advance into different social classes—not impede it based on our socioeconomic upbringings and backgrounds.

This issue needs to be addressed institutionally. These factors make university life more difficult for certain students more so than others.

At Queen’s, an effort could be made to connect current working-class students to alumni who’ve achieved upward mobility after graduation. It could serve as an inspiration to less affluent students while also offsetting their inherent lack of networking opportunities.

There could be student groups and clubs who’d work to connect working-class students with each other—in effect, combatting their sense of isolation and offering them a sense of belonging.

While perhaps not immediately breaking down the barriers less affluent students face, these small changes would make subtle but tangible differences.

They could create a sense of understanding and comradery between people from diverse financial backgrounds—and help a large group of young people reach like-minded goals on a level playing field.

Cade Cowan is a fourth-year Politics major.

“Pumpkin pie or crunchy leaves.”

“The nice mix of hot and cold weather.”

“Halloween and getting to dress up like a cat—I love cats.”

“Being able to comfortably wear sweaters.”

Talking heads ... what is your favourite part of fall?

PHOTOS BY TESSA WARBURTON

Kayvon Mihan, Comm ’21

Sara Abdella, ArtSci ’22

Tineke Kippers MA ’22

Andrew Clifford, ArtSci ’20

8 • queensjournal.ca

Arts Nick Pearce Editor in Chief Frank Turner won’t tell you what he thinks.

Taking the stage at Ale House on Tuesday, the singer-songwriter is fresh off the May release of his album, Be More Kind. Normally known for his strong opinions, the album sees Turner in a more pensive, uncertain mood than fans will recognize.

He doesn’t have the answers anymore, and can no longer share them with his listeners. Instead, he’s asking for kindness.

These new songs are an ambitious attempt to find some tenderness in this media-saturated, polarized political scene. The album is a modern day survival guide for the Trump era, jammed with unease but taking comfort in his relationships.

“One of the criticisms of the record is I’m sitting on the fence,” Turner told The Journal over the phone. “I don’t see how that is fair.”

For Turner, he’s already written his big political comments, chronicling his personal experiences of drug abuse and social dissatisfaction.

It was time to write something different.

“There are [other bands] out there making these forceful statements. I didn’t feel the need to tread the same ground as them. I

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

PREVIEW

Frank Turner talks upcoming Ale Show Singer-songwriter shares his new uncertainty on Tuesday

wanted to make a slightly tougher point,” he said.

When he was on tour in the U.S. during the 2016 election, Turner found the inspiration to express more complexity in his music. He was struck by the fragmenting political discussion he saw on the tour. It was easy to feel lost.

He wondered how this confusion could lead to writing a fist-pumping anthem.

The punk music he listened to rarely involved doubt; he was unsure if that sort of political unease could become a rock song.

MUSIC

As he started writing, he honed in on the personal details that would still carry meaning for listeners feeling isolated. Its human elements guided him to experiment more.

As a result, Turner drifted further from his punk roots for the bulk of the album. Angry tunes like “1933” still make an appearance, but they’re no longer the main draw.

He seems to be raging more against the situation than the machine.

The sound has softened.

Festival falling for Kingston Hospice concert brings Busty and the Bass to Kingston

Kyra Smith Contributor Students will be swept off their feet on Sept. 29 when the Fall for Kingston Music Festival takes place in City Park.

The festival, which runs from 12 to 10 p.m., is a fundraising event for Hospice Kingston, an organization that services patients

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Frank Turner will be playing at Ale House on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

with life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones.

The day will be filled with food, art, activities, and entertainment from local bands, including headliners Busty and the Bass.

Seventy-five percent of Hospice Kingston’s funding comes from grants, donations, and events like Fall for Kingston.

Proceeds from the festival

Fall For Kingston will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29 in City Park.

will allow Hospice Kingston to continue to provide a much-needed “continuum of care” to people, and to build the first Palliative Care Centre and Hospice Residence in Kingston.

“It’s got everything you want to do on a Saturday,” Benjamin Leslie, Donor Relations Coordinator for Hospice Kingston, told The Journal over a phone interview.

PHOTO BY NICK PEARCE

Its early harder edges are world changes.

Debates become violent, worn down and Turner’s title track is a plea, asking the nationalism takes office—and listener to “Be more kind.”

Turner feels like “people [are] Synth-backed choruses desperately trying to hold onto this and playful melodies replace sense of ground.” the strident rock he introduced When Turner comes to himself with. It sounds like he’s Kingston on Tuesday, it’ll be part of his search for that stability. taking a breath.

He’ll ask his audience to His lyrics still profile the world unraveling—“1933” is a reference be kinder. to the historical rise of fascism; “Brave Face” prepares for the end of the world—but they’re never despairing.

There’s hope underneath, captured in the blue eyed soul inflections on the latter and the outright rebellion in the former.

He’s only more conflicted, unsure of how to act in an unpredictable world. It’s sense of ground “evaporating” as the Turner’s album cover for Be More Kind.

The organizers aim to make the event affordable and accessible to students as well as families.

Going forward they will focus on adaptability.

This is the first year Fall for Kingston will run, replacing Hospice Kingston’s past Chilifest fundraiser. The rebranding intends to attract a wider demographic with music, a variety of food, vendors, and even tattoo artists.

The festival hopes to spotlight local talent ahead of their headliner.

Kingston bands—including The Dan Taylor Band, Kasador, and The Wilderness—will open the festival, before the show’s main event.

Busty and the Bass will then take the stage with a unique electro-soul and hip hop sound.

Since winning Canada’s Top University Band in 2014, they’ve enjoyed international success and toured North America and Europe.

Fresh off their debut album release last year, they will join fellow headliners Monowhales and Ralph at the festival.

Leslie is optimistic about the event.

“We have the real potential to reach a lot of people,” he said.

Popular local restaurants

and breweries will be on site serving up their specialties alongside Ontario-based food trucks. Favourites will include Tango Nuevo, Olivea, mio gelato, Harper’s Burger Bar, Chien Noir and Atomica.

Those looking for a shopping experience will find vendors and artists selling a variety of products in the park.

Improbable Escapes will be setting up a portable escape room.

The Loft Girls fashion truck will also be on site. Other visitors can drop by a psychic to see what the future holds for them.

Meanwhile, tattoo artists will be setting up shop and working on a first come, first serve basis. Flash tattooing will allow attendees to be inked on the spot, making the festival’s memory more permanent.

If tourists are hoping for some music and food next weekend, Fall for Kingston could be an excellent place to spend their money in support of the comfort and care for someone near the end of their life.

“It’s going to be high energy,” Leslie said. “We wanted to highlight the city of Kingston.”

Tickets for the festival are $20 in advance on Eventbrite or $25 at the gate.

Arts

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

queensjournal.ca

•9

MUSIC

Okan drums into Grad Club Seminar series invites all-female Afro-Cuban jazz fusion band to play the Grad Club Alexandra Phillips Contributor This Friday, music and academia will mix when a seminar series welcomes OKAN to the Grad Club.

Queen’s Studies in National and International Development (SNID) and Global Development and History professor, Karen Dubinsky, invited the all-female Afro-Cuban jazz fusion band for the show.

The invite is part of a growing recognition that artists like OKAN’s musical contributions can be as valuable as a scholar’s research.

The all-female band led by Elizabeth Rodríguez and Magdelys Savigne was founded in 2016 in Toronto. Both artists are originally from Cuba, but immigrated to

Canada to pursue careers as artists.

For Rodríguez and Savigne, moving allowed them to overcome the struggles they faced as female musicians in Cuba. The women weren’t allowed to play certain drums that were considered culturally sacred.

They could sing and dance, but they couldn’t play the drums, Savigne told The Journal.

When Savigne and Rodríguez agreed that their opportunities lay outside of Cuba, they left.

In Canada, they use OKAN to promote women—recognizing they don’t have the same opportunities in music as men and working to dismantle those barriers.

By drumming, Savigne challenges restrictive gender roles in Cuban music. On their website, they write about

LITERATURE

OKAN will be playing at the Grad Club on Sept. 21 as part of the SNID series. “embracing genres and roles that have historically been dominated by men.”

It’s a joyful rebellion for the band, one rooted in culture.

This carries over to their name, which is a nod to the Afro-Cuban language. OKAN translates to “heart,” but can also mean soul.

For Rodríguez, either is an appropriate translation.

“Everything we do is with our heart and our soul,” she said.

Rodríguez and Savigne believe their music doesn’t fit neatly into traditional genres, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“We are just doing our own music, our own way,” Rodríguez said.

Queen’s Reads brings the GTA closer to YGK Scarborough explores the complexities of inner-city life with truth and dignity

J asnit P abla Copy Editor Mainstream depictions of Toronto are welcome, but Catherine Hernandez has a darker, more intimidating story to tell of one of its inner-city communities: Scarborough.

Published in 2017 and named after a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) neighbourhood, Scarborough is the Canadian author’s first full-length work of fiction.

On Aug. 22, Queen’s announced in a press release the award-winning novel would be the next installation in the university-wide reading program, Queen’s Reads.

Queen’s Reads attempts to engage the Queen’s community with important themes and topics by providing the campus with copies of a different novel each year. A selection committee, comprised of students and staff, chooses a work of

fiction that tells an important—often-times marginalized—story in the Canadian context.

Last year, Queen’s Reads explored the livelihoods of Indigenous women in suburban Canada through Katherena Vermette’s The Break.

In 255 pages, Hernandez presents the stories of several fictional residents living in the low-income inner-city of Scarborough. The residents follow their own storylines, navigating day-to-day hardships. They’re living out seemingly normal ways of life marred by their socioeconomic status, and defined by their attitudes about themselves and towards others.

To some degree, their lives are interconnected through different means: some reside in the same shelter; others use the same daycare. Their interactions are the essence of the novel.

The reader is invited to experience the city through

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S GAZETTE

different lenses—a Muslim daycare worker, a Caribbean restaurant owner, an Indigenous mother and daughter, and several others.

Despite Scarborough’s apparent diversity, however, characters like Cory embody the Canadian face of xenophobia. He displays an outright disapproval of Ms. Hina, a daycare worker, the moment he lays eyes on her hijab.

Hernanedez channels Ms. Hina’s voice and her internal thoughts concerning Cory’s micro-aggressions. She’s able to portray Cory’s ignorance, lack of education, and poor social skills.

The reader begins to understand the impact he has on Ms. Hina—fostering her fear that’s exacerbated by several tense scenes including Cory wrenching his daughter from her arms.

Cory’s daughter, Laura, is regularly neglected by her father but finds a place to eat healthy, non-instant meals at Ms. Hina’s centre. Despite being primarily an institution for learning, Laura’s reliance becomes the backbone of the novel and comes to characterize the underlying reason why the characters come to interact with the centre.

Despite the reader being bombarded early on with several names, voices, and complex back-stories, it becomes strikingly apparent, a couple pages in, that the story easily flows from one character to another.

Each person is plagued by their

Shaped by the influence of the multicultural music of Toronto, OKAN’s style stays true to their Cuban background.

They don’t want to conform to any one genre and their newest EP, Laberinto, is proof. They’re evolving with the music industry, incorporating various cultures and increasingly resisting the confines of genres. They don’t wish to be placed in a box.

“The world has evolved, and the world has changed,” Rodríguez said. They’re evolving with it.

The band’s evolution has created versatile set of tracks, offering each listener a unique experience depending on where they’re coming from.

Savigne said it was important to consider how everyone comes

own issues; alcoholism and drug abuse, poverty, homelessness, and violence are the main themes in this Canadian city.

Hernandez is able to portray life in Scarborough by channeling the inner thoughts of children and adults but doesn’t shy away from depicting what their true and real thoughts would be their given situations.

Cory struggles with inner conflict over whether Ms. Hina is an adequate guardian for his daughter.

Another character, Sylvie, a young Indigenous girl, comes to understand how her father’s gambling has resulted in his apparent injuries.

The impact that poverty and broken families has on education becomes clear as the school-year unfolds throughout

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY OKAN

from a different background and culture—different people identify with different parts of the same song.

Despite their versatility, both Rodríguez and Savigne hope they leave their listeners feeling more joy and happiness.

They want their audience to dance and enjoy their music—particularly Canadians, who “don’t dance,” but really should.

OKAN wants to spread a different conception of what Cuban music is. This Friday, students will have the opportunity to experience all that Afro-Cuban jazz fusion music has to offer.

“We want people to play music and reflect on what they just listened to,” Rodriguez said.

the novel. A specialized education program and the possible diagnoses of a developmental condition for a young child is put on the back-burner as families struggle to provide food for their children, stomach hospital bills, and find permanent residence.

As the reader becomes normalized to each character’s ignorance and despair, it becomes difficult to forget that these are depictions of real-life experiences.

Hernandez doesn’t shy away from telling the truth—especially in a fashion that forces the reader to understand their privilege and the overwhelming importance of their own education.

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Sports

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Rachel Hickson climbing to all-star status

Second-year player stringing together career season PHOTO BY MAGGIE GOWLAND

Rachel Hickson currently leads the women’s rugby team in tries through their first three games.

Maggie Gowland Assistant Sports Editor Only three years into her rugby career, women’s rugby’s Rachel Hickson is just warming up.

While the Gaels are a quick three games into their regular season, the second-year winger has already offered up a number of impressive performances.

In her most recent match against McMaster, Hickson scored a pair of tries—bringing her season total to eight overall, good for most on the Gaels.

Most of this, though, is new for Hickson. Her ascent has been extraordinarily quick.

Hailing from Ottawa, Hickson got her introduction to rugby in grade 12, playing in a club tournament after her attempts to organize a school team fell through.

From then on, she was hooked.

For her first tournament, Hickson played on a team comprised of students who had

no school program. After impressing early and often, she got the call to play with the Eastern Ontario Rugby sevens program in 2017.

It couldn’t have worked out better.

She was familiar with rugby because of her older sister, Emily, an ex-member of the Concordia rugby program. She was the reason Hickson had always been inspired to play the sport. The two have never shared a field, but her younger sister, Abigail, took up the sport earlier this year.

“It’s become a family thing,” Hickson told The Journal earlier this week. “Hopefully she sticks with it.”

Being a late bloomer, Hickson had no idea what she was getting herself into with the Queen’s rugby program in her first year.

Other than having Sean Dunleavy—her first rugby coach and current Gaels assistant—as a familiar face on the sidelines, she had no idea who the coaching staff would be.

Luckily, her arrival coincided with the program’s first-year of head coach, Dan

FOOTBALL

Gaels looks to rebound after heartbreaking loss

Valley. Hickson described her decision to come to Queen’s as perfect timing.

“I didn’t know who our head coach was going to be, I’d never met the previous one, and there was a changeover,” Hickson said.

“I’d never worked with [Valley] before, and I had no idea that change was happening when I decided to come here, so it’s been a really positive outcome.”

A positive outcome it’s been: Valley’s first year in charge saw the Gaels win an OUA silver medal and finish ranked fifth in the country. In her rookie season, Hickson played all three of Queen’s playoff matches.

Valley’s development of the Queen’s program has also translated into national success for some of his players. Hickson was one of three first-year Gaels last season to play for the under-20 national women’s rugby team this summer.

For Hickson, sporting the Maple Leaf in a competitive match wasn’t just humbling but a valuable learning experience.

“The girls [on the under-20 team] were phenomenal to work with … It was a super, super positive environment, but it was also a lot,” Hickson said. “A lot to adapt to, but a really positive experience.”

“It gave me more perspective than I’ve ever had about what playing for our country can mean.”

Hickson added a future of playing with the senior Canadian is “on the map,” and it’s something her coaches have encouraged her to consider.

“You get a little further and a little further and it starts to seem more possible,” Hickson said of a career at the national level. “I don’t know what that would look like—or in what capacity or how that fits into the now—but, for now at least, it’s [about] working hard at all levels.”

Currently, the winger remains focused on finishing out the rest of Queen’s season strong. With only one regular season game left and a 2-1 record, the Gaels are getting hungry, she said. “[We’re] excited to play and improve and show what we can do—and not be a team that’s been written off,” Hickson said. “Our team is building. Last year was a new page, but this [year] is so much more than that.”

Indeed, this season has been much more.

Last season, Hickson only touched the field for two regular season game. This year, though, she’s featured in every one.

Reflecting on her short time in Kingston, Hickson said Queen’s took her by surprise.

“It’s amazing, but I didn’t think this was going to be what I found,” she said. “Now that it’s becoming what it is, [it’s] a blessing for it to have worked out this way.”

Queen’s travels to Guelph after suffering overtime defeat last week Matt Scace Sports Editor This week, Queen’s football took inspiration from an unlikely source: Kobe Bryant. “[Kobe says] the first thing you have to do is admit you failed,” head coach Pat Sheahan said at a pre-game press conference on Thursday morning.

While Bryant didn’t visit the team, the coaching staff chose to include some of his speeches in their game-film sessions this week—in response to last Saturday’s devastating overtime loss to the Carleton Ravens.

Against Carleton, the Gaels powered through an impressive comeback after being down 33-19, and ended up having their share of chances to put the game away late in the fourth quarter.

With no time left on the clock, Gaels kicker Nick Liberatore missed a 38-yard field goal that would’ve sealed the game for Queen’s. While he would drill a 42-yard attempt in overtime, Carleton made a game-winning drive which ended in a touchdown, and ultimately, a win.

“The critical thing about this is that you have to own it,” Sheahan said. “When you fail, you have to own that.”

With four games left in their schedule, the Gaels are in the most critical stage of their season. This coming Saturday, they’re on the road to face the Guelph Gryphons, who hold the same record as Queen’s at the mid-way point of the season, 2-2.

Guelph’s had a strong season thus far.

Their two losses have come at a combined margin of just three points. They’ve also shown a formidable defensive core, limiting teams to just 16.5 points per game.

Sheahan said he’s expecting the nationally tenth Gryphons to come out strong on Saturday, adding he sees similar characteristics in his opponent’s game to Carleton’s.

“Guelph is a very similar team to Carleton—they’re strong on the defensive front, sound defensively. They’ve got some big playoff guys,” Sheahan said. “Based off how we match up with them, it should be a very interesting game.”

Of Guelph’s most notable offensive threats, Sheahan touted Gryphons

Queen’s is heading into the weekend with a 2-2 record.

quarterback Theo Landers as a sneaky, mobile player who they’ll have to keep an extra eye on. Landers currently ranks fifth in the OUA for rushing yards with 298 on the season, making for 74.5 yards per game.

“When the quarterback is mobile and he can run, that’s another barrel in the gun,” Sheahan said. “That’s a seven-chamber revolver right there.”

Second-year wide receiver Sakhia Kwemo said despite the Gaels’ loss last weekend, the team remains confident and optimistic considering they nearly completed a 19-point comeback

PHOTO BY JASON SCOURSE

against a nationally-ranked team.

“Although it was a loss, it felt like a win in the long run,” Kwemo said. “We’re a stronger team mentally and physically.”

This weekend’s matchup against Guelph carries with it significant playoff implications, and with that in hand, Kwemo added the Gaels are focused to make the most of their chances.

“I don’t know how tight it’s going to be yet but if we just impose ourselves in the first half of the game it should be good for us,” Kwemo said.

“It’s going to be an exciting game.”

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

queensjournal.ca

• 11

GOLF

Queen’s start season with a bang Gaels pull together four medals in two days to tee-off season Max Bradshaw Contributor It was a busy weekend for the Queen’s golf team: they played two tournaments in two days this past Saturday and Sunday.

Despite the back-to-back contests, they couldn’t have asked for better results.

The first tournament, hosted

by Carleton, was played at the Marshes Golf Course. With more water and larger greens than the Queen’s home course, it offered a unique challenge.

The Gaels adapted to with ease. Both men’s and women’s walked away with gold medals.

On Sunday, the Gaels were treated to home-course advantage, hosting the Queen’s Invitational at the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club.

Fourth-year Trevor Corner said the home course was a nice crutch for the team on Sunday.

“You’ve been in unique situations at your home course and been able to learn from them,” Corner said. This, he added, helped lead the men to another successful tournament.

They finished the day with a first-place finish, while the women grabbed silver.

“It was nice for us to be able to spend Saturday [night] at home and come into the tournament well rested,” Corner said.

The tournament proved to be a greater test for the men’s team, sliding past Guelph by one stroke.

With new two new additions to the men’s starting group of five and one new addition to the women’s team, it was reassuring for the Gaels to see they were able to pick up where they left off last year. After both teams won silver at last year’s provincials, the program is hoping to take their shot at this year’s rendition of the tournament.

According to Corner, the courses were in great condition which was helpful as the golfers battled through the extreme heat.

“The setup of the courses were very fair for a tournament,” he said.

First-year golfer Zachary Greifenberger opened up the weekend with a 69 at the Marshes, good for his first number one finish with Queen’s. He

The men’s and women’s golf team won four medals last weekend.

followed up that performance with a 68 at Cataraqui, earning him Queen’s Athlete of the Week honours after winning both tournaments.

Meanwhile, Gaels’ Michael Von Schalburg had one of the more impressive shots of the

weekend. On the ninth hole in Ottawa—a 545 yard par five—he was a few feet away from sinking it in two shots, but easily putted in for an eagle.

Kristen MacLaren, first-year head coach for the program, said she knew they had strong

Matt Scace Sports Editor

This article first appeared online on Sept. 18 It was hard to be pessimistic about the cross country team’s return this weekend at the annual Queen’s Invitational.

In their first official race on the Fort Henry Hills—the location of this year’s U Sports Championships—the women’s and men’s team filled up the podium with tricolour singlets.

For the women, rookie Brogan MacDougall finished first with a time of 29:04.72, while teammates Taylor Sills and Makenna Fitzgerald followed less than a minute behind her.

Meanwhile, the men secured the first five positions in their race.

Mitchell De Lange had a successful return from an injury after sitting last season out, finishing ahead of second and third place teammates Brett Crowley and Matt Flood, respectively.

Both races were eight kilometres, and saw temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius alongside crippling humidity.

Numerous athletes failed to cross the finish line.

First year Brogan MacDougall won her first race for Queen’s.

CROSS COUNTRY

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE

Cross country dominates podium at Queen’s invitational Brogan MacDougall wins first career university race, men hold down first five positions MacDougall said the race plan for the men and women was to treat the invitational as a training run at their workout pace.

“The plan was to stick with the lead pack because we thought it would be our [team] until the last three [kilometers],” MacDougall said, adding it was her second race since officially

recovering from a minor injury sustained earlier this summer. “It feels really good to be back out and racing.”

MacDougall’s sister, Branna MacDougall, in her second year with the program, chose not to race on Saturday—though she remains in healthy form as the Gaels power through the thick of

their high-mileage training season.

Cross country head coach Steve Boyd was equally pleased with the rookie and Kingston local’s performance.

“We’re super impressed with Brogan,” Boyd said. He noted that her race time was 30 seconds off her personal best on the course—a notable number

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY JASMINE MUSSANI

golfers, but didn’t expect both teams to bring home gold.

Now, expectations for future competitions are higher.

Notable individual performances on the women’s side included Robyn Campbell, who finished in second at both tournaments, and Jacquie Miller, who got bronze at Cataraqui.

Third-year Jasmine Mussani said the Gaels are hoping to keep their winning momentum going forward after their successful weekend.

“We just want to do our best and have fun,” Mussani said.

The Gaels’ next tournament is the McMaster Invitational on Sept.

27, where they hope to follow up their strong showing. The OUA championships will take place from Oct. 14-16.

considering she’s raced numerous national championships at Fort Henry before.

As for his men’s team, Boyd said he was excited to see the depth his runners showed in their first race of the season.

“This is the first year on the men’s side where we have no clue who the top guy is,” Boyd said. For the veteran coach, this is an asset—he explained that between their top four men, each one’s time is separate by roughly 10 seconds.

Third-place finisher Matt Flood agreed with his coach, saying the top position is up for grabs at the moment. Flood complimented teammate de Lange’s strong race, but also added that Crowley will be in tight with that top group as the season moves along.

“I don’t think we saw the best of Crowley,” Flood said. “In training, he’s far ahead of the group.”

The Gaels will now be far from the comforts of home for more than a month as they head into a series of invitationals leading up to the OUA Championships at Western in late October.

Next weekend, the program will receive a primer for provincials as they travel to London for the Western Invitational.

12 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

Rachel Italiano is the LUG’s women’s hockey league’s commissioner.

RECREATION

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

LUG introduces women’s recreational hockey league Campus sports league touted first of its kind as they prepare for inaugural season Matt Scace Sports Editor Rachel Italiano remembers the first time she went looking for an all-girls hockey league at Queen’s.

“I went up to LUG at the sidewalk sale and I was, like, ‘Oh no, it’s only men’s hockey,’” Italiano, Comm ’19, said in an interview.

For her, it was the moment she realized she wouldn’t be playing hockey at university. After growing up on the rink throughout her childhood, Italiano thought she was giving up the sport for the next four years. “[I] didn’t really have the resources and didn’t know what was out there or what to look

for,” she said.

This year, that’s about to change—and not just for Italiano, but all female students looking for recreational hockey. LUG, a private student-run intramural league, active on numerous Canadian campuses, is officially introducing their first all-female competitive hockey league in Kingston and Ottawa.

Italiano is the commissioner of Kingston’s affiliate women’s

league. Offered to all Queen’s students, the league is aiming to fill four teams with 16 players apiece.

Each team will play 16 games, with the season spanning from midOctober to March.

Since LUG was introduced at Queen’s in 2009, they’ve run extensive men’s hockey leagues that include an end-of-year banquet, customized team jerseys and weekly ice time. It was only last year the league decided to attempt to pull together a

women’s league. LUG placed Italiano in charge of organizing the operation.

Now ready for its inaugural season, Italiano said it was an important project for her considering her past experiences trying to find women’s hockey leagues.

“It’s good for [women hockey players] to have someone fully advocating for them,” Italiano said, explaining hockey’s rise in popularity among women in Canada. The fourth-year added, despite this increase, women are still experiencing a lack of opportunities to continue playing the sport past high school.

“It just fully cuts off, [and] it’s hard to stay motivated.”

While Queen’s does offer intramural hockey on campus, Italiano said it lacks the community, outreach, and organization to entice first-years to come out—something LUG is hoping to do with its league.

“The big push has been our outreach and actually finding these girls,” she said.

Once the women’s league finds its required number of players, it’ll work as the men’s does every year—consistently and smoothly.

“I think once we get that first year going, it’ll just continue,” Italiano said. “Girls hockey is getting more and more popular, so it’ll be easier and easier to find players.”

LUG’s season officially kicks off on Oct. 15, with registration closing on Oct. 12. With the first puck drop fast approaching, Italiano said she’s eager to provide a memorable experience for all women hockey players on campus.

“I’m so excited. The girls will be really happy with it.”

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Friday, Sept 21, 2018

queensjournal.ca

Lifestyle

QJ POLITICS

In defense of a 15 dollar minimum wage

A protest in favour of a $15 minimum wage.

Scrapping increased pay would ignore previous hike’s benefits Samara Lijiam Contributor This coming January, Ontario is set to join Alberta, New York and California in increasing its minimum wage to $15.

In 2017, Maclean’s reported 8.9 per cent of Ontario’s workforce are minimum wage employees—more than any other province in the country.

Despite this large proportion of minimum wage workers, Ontario had a minimum wage which left plenty of labourers struggling to make ends meet.

In Toronto, I volunteered with the advocacy group Fight for $15 and Fairness—one of the groups that lobbied the Liberal

government to not only increase the minimum wage to $15, but also to introduce other long overdue labour rights.

When the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act (Bill 148) passed in 2017, it showed the needs and demands of unions, marginalized groups and yo u n g people were f i n a l ly being h e a rd .

The bill was a win for labour rights activists across the province.

But a lot has changed since 2017.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has called for a halt to the minimum wage hike, along with the repeal of many other new labour rights like extended emergency leave and an end to on-call scheduling. Their platform has brought back the question of whether minimum wages should be increased to $15.

When the minimum wage was raised to $14 at the start of 2018,

havoc broke loose.

TD Bank and Restaurants Canada conducted studies predicting anywhere from 90,000 to 185,000 jobs would be lost, and companies like Tim Hortons kicked the costs down to workers—cutting paid breaks and benefits.

Nine months later, the Chamber of Commerce continues to argue the minimum wage hike has halted job growth. However, there are numerous other factors which show the otherwise.

Other than an initial dip in employment in January of 2017—the first month where the increased minimum wage was implemented—the $14 hourly pay isn't destroying jobs after all.

The accommodation and food services industry, a field dominated by minimum wage workers, created an impressive 14,000 new jobs since the

TV

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minimum wage hike according to Huffington Post Canada.

As well, the unemployment rate has dropped to 5.4 per cent—the lowest it’s been in 18 years.

From January to March of 2018—the months immediately following the minimum wage hike—the use of food banks in Toronto dropped by 16,000 visits, according to reports from The Toronto Star.

This is the first time in four years there’s been a drop in food bank usage like this, indicating more Ontarians are able to put food on their tables since the wage increase.

Despite these hopeful signs, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has promised to halt the proposed minimum wage hike to $15 an hour and eliminate provincial income tax for minimum wage workers.

According to Ford’s plan, full-time workers making $14

SUPPLIED BY WIKIPEDIA

an hour will receive up to $859 in income tax credits per year. What he fails to mention, is under the former Liberal government’s $15 minimum wage plan, full-time workers would get up to a $1,553 income tax credit.

The Ontario Living Wage Network places the living wage for Toronto at $18.52 an hour.

We still have a ways to go before minimum wage workers can survive off of their salary.

In the face of Ford’s proposal to scrap an increase to minimum wage, we must keep in mind the first minimum wage hike from earlier this year has created tangible benefits for the province—and the fact remains 60 per cent of Ontarians want a $15 minimum wage.

Five TV shows you should watch this fall Exciting new shows premiere, old favourites return Lauren Trossman Staff Writer The arrival of fall means we finally get to try out all the new shows coming to television and welcome our old favourites back into our lives.

If you’re looking for some new shows to try, or returning shows to jump into, here are this TV season’s most exciting prospects.

God Friended Me, Sept. 30

No, this isn’t a joke, there really is a new dramedy coming to CBS called God Friended Me. The bizarre yet intriguing series centers on Miles, a vocal atheist played by Search Party’s Brandon Michael Hall, who is blessed with a Facebook friend request from a rather unexpected user: God. From this point on, Miles’ life begins to change in unexpected ways as he meets new people through strange twists of fate caused by his newest Facebook friend.

God Friended Me also co-stars Tony winner Rachel Bay Jones and is sure to be a winning conversation starter.

Manifest, Sept. 24 Do you miss the first few seasons of Lost—before it got insane?

Enter Manifest, NBC’s new drama about a plane landing after what passengers believed to be a normal flight, only to be told they’d been missing for over five years.

As the people from the plane try to reintegrate into their lives following a five-year blind spot, they’re left with the mystery of figuring what happened to their flight and why it happened to them.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Oct. 12

Back for its fourth and final season, the

Stars from shows airing this fall.

musical rom-com dramedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, remains one of the most versatile and entertaining shows on television.

At the end of last season, protagonist Rebecca Bunch decided to take responsibility for her poor decisions—winding up in jail in the process. Based on the show’s past three seasons, we can presume things won’t go as planned for Rebecca. Expect some wacky, cringe-worthy, and hilarious antics.

You, Sept. 9 If you’ve spent the last six years looking for a terrifying, grown-up version of Gossip Girl, You is the show for you.

Starring the Gossip Girl himself, Penn Badgley, You tells the creepy cautionary tale of what happens when free-spirit Beck (Elizabeth Lail) meets Joe Goldberg (Badgley) at a bookstore and he takes a unique interest in her.

The first two episodes have already aired on Lifetime, and were packed with suspense and unexpected twists. If that doesn’t intrigue you, You also

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSH GRANOVSKY

has a stellar cast, including John Stamos, Shay Mitchell and Kathryn Gallagher.

Big Mouth, Oct. 5

If you’ve experienced the horror-show that is puberty and want to laugh about it, you should watch Netflix’s animated comedy Big Mouth.

The first season, released last year, delivered plenty of laughs, cringes, and memories of middle school you’re now finally old enough to joke about.

The first season ended with seventh grader Nick, voiced

by Nick Kroll, meeting his very own “Hormone Monster,” also voiced by Kroll, which is sure to bring about a myriad of uncomfortable jokes as he joins his friends in puberty.

Big Mouth is voiced by almost every comedy icon you can think of, including John Mulaney, Jason Mantzoukas, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele.

If none of these shows interest you and you want to lean back on a reliable show from your youth, Grey’s Anatomy will be back for its 15th season on Sept. 27.

LIFESTYLE

14 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

AWARDS RECAP

The highs, lows, and surprises of the 2018 Emmy Awards

TV’s biggest night had back-to-back wins, original songs—and even a proposal Lauren Trossman Staff Writer

Unlike the shows they honoured, this year’s Emmy Awards didn’t bring any serious drama.

However, many deserving shows, actors, writers, and directors were recognized for their hard work with Emmy statuettes.

Like any respectable awards show, the Emmys featured lots of uncomfortable presenter banter, slightly too long acceptance speeches, and an appearance

by Heidi Klum—who apparently gets invited to every awards show.

Here are some of the highs, lows, and one special “whoa” moment from the 2018 Emmys.

High: Amy Sherman-Palladino wins two consecutive awards

Minutes after winning the

Directing for a Comedy Series award for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Sherman-Palladino popped back out from the side of the stage—still carrying her Emmy—to accept the award for Writing for a Comedy Series, also for the same show.

The Gilmore Girls creator and queen of witty banter jumped out from the wings, showcasing her showbiz-ready jazz hands, and continued her acceptance speech where she’d left off just minutes before.

Low: Lack of diverse winners

This year’s Emmys did have the most diverse pool of nominees in its 69-year history—which is absolutely a step in the right direction. However, its award winner selection isn’t so progressive.

Only two of the 12 main acting awards went to people of colour at the ceremony. If that wasn’t a poor enough display of awarding diversity, white people took home all eight of the writing and

SUMMER STORIES

Re-learning the simple rules of friendship How a summer at French immersion camp taught me the value of words This story was published online on Sept. 18, 2018.

Claudia Rupnik Contributor Last summer, I embarked on a five-week educational trip to Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec—a town an hour north from the province’s capital, Quebec City.

It’s one of the most naturally beautiful areas in Canada, filled with picturesque fields of lavender, foggy pastures and narrow roads lined with art galleries and local restaurants.

But it’s also home to a population that barely speaks a word of English.

Funded by the federal government, the Explore Program is designed as a French immersion experience for language learners of all levels. As such, its participants are strictly prohibited from speaking English.

Saying so much as a casual, “How are you?” in the local café could land even a model student a meeting with the administration to discuss their place in the program.

With students arriving from all corners of Canada, the level of French comprehension throughout the group was diverse. Some participants were fluent, while others could barely introduce themselves.

In the midst of it, I was

as excited and nervous as someone whose French education didn’t extend past high school could be.

As the first few days of the program unfolded, one thing quickly became clear: the language barrier would be more challenging than I expected.

Under constant supervision, and lacking regular access to a bilingual dictionary, my peers and I were faced with the day-to-day challenges of communicating amongst ourselves.

I had a pit in my stomach at the thought of being stuck in the middle of nowhere for over a month with strangers and an impeded ability to communicate.

I wondered how I’d possibly be able to connect with anyone.

And yet, in spite of the struggle to speak an unfamiliar language, I made friends: friends completing their undergraduate degrees and friends finishing their doctorates. Friends who introduced themselves in French for the first time that summer, and friends who carried their language skills abroad.

To read the rest of this story, visit queensjournal.ca/ lifestyle

directing awards.

High: A star-powered musical opening number

Emmy favourites Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Kristen Bell, Andy Samberg, Tituss Burgess and Sterling K. Brown were the night's hightlight. As a reward for suffering through the lows of this year’s Emmys, it appears we were gifted with a TV lover’s dream cast in the show’s opening musical number.

The song, satirically titled “We Solved It,” was a tongue-in-cheek tune about how Hollywood has finally solved all of its diversity issues with the award show’s diverse nominees. The performance was as uncomfortable as it was fun, and it got the awards ceremony off to a great start.

Low: Presenter banter after nominees were announced

Come on, Emmys. There’s no reason to mess with the

well-established award show routine like this.

This year, the Emmys decided to switch up nominee announcements for no reason by having a mysterious voice read a category’s nominees before its presenters came to the stage. After the nominees were read, the celebrity presenters would be introduced, perform their shtick, and announce the winners.

This odd re-arrangement of the presenter-nominee-winner announcement format that's been in place for decades was an altogether unnecessary change.

High: Betty White!

At 96 years old, Betty White has proved—as she aptly put it during her speech—she’s still the “first lady of television.”

Her mid-show speech, in which she expressed her gratitude to the television community, radiated the pure joy that has marked her long career. Her standing ovation was well-deserved, and even I couldn’t resist standing

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

up for her in front of my TV.

Whoa: A surprise marriage proposal

While accepting an award for directing a different awards show, the Oscars, Glenn Weiss created the most memorable moment of the 2018 Emmys by proposing to his girlfriend during a live broadcast.

Though the moment could’ve gone terribly wrong had his girlfriend evoked a negative response, Weiss’ now-fiancée said yes and gave us the most adorable part of the show—and plenty of gif-worthy reaction shots.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

queensjournal.ca

• 15

STUDENT STORIES

Setting goals to make the most of time on exchange at Queen’s How exchange students balance study and play Hinano Kobayashi Contributor On Sept. 1, following a tedious 24-hour journey from Narita Airport in my native Japan, I finally arrived at Queen’s to begin my semester as an exchange student.

Moving overseas by myself to live as an exchange student in Canada was a mind-blowing, massive lifestyle change.

I packed everything I had into a backpack and suitcase, and said goodbye to my daily life to begin this international adventure.

When I arrived in Kingston, I was full of anxiety and excitement. In the three weeks since I’ve been here, I’ve had a

hard time balancing work and play, as well as adjusting to an unfamiliar environment and culture.

I came up with a list of goals I’d like to achieve while I’m at Queen’s. These Hinano Kobayashi is excited to study in Kingston. objectives will hopefully help me achieve a better balance for everything I want students and 600 exchange students who to do and give fellow exchange students come to campus ever year. an idea of how to make the most of their time The Exchange Buddies program connects in Kingston. full-time Queen’s students to international students. Personally, I’ve noticed it’s not Meet new people with different easy to become friends with full-time backgrounds students unless you join clubs or go to events.

One of the advantages of studying on Exchange Buddies is a perfect Queen’s campus is the chance to meet opportunity for students to broaden their new people from all over the world. horizons and learn about new perspectives.

There are more than 1,300 international Stay fit and healthy with sports

A bowl of squash soup is in-season for fall.

RECIPE

PHOTO BY ERIN BURNS

Relaxing squash soup recipe Take advantage of in-season squash and unwind with some soup

Samantha Misner Contributor

In my experience, digging into a warm bowl of homemade soup is the best way to unwind after a busy week of school.

Shorter days and the chilly Kingston breeze are signs that autumn is closer than we’d like to think. Although we’ll soon be forced to trade our summer shorts for knitted sweaters, there are upsides to fall— for one, my delicious, homemade squash soup.

Not only is this soup recipe perfect for the fast approaching fall weather, it’s also a great meal to share with your housemates.

Don’t forget to take advantage of Kingston’s farmers' markets. Squash is in-season, after all.

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

—6 cups roasted butternut squash (from 2 medium-large butternut squashes) —3 tbsp butter —½ diced onion —4 cups chicken broth (substitute for vegetable broth if vegetarian) —2/3 cup heavy (35%) cream (substitute for 2% milk if no cream) — ½ medium apple (optional)

Instructions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down onto a baking sheet. Roast in pre-heated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until it’s very soft.

Let cool and scoop squash out of the skin.

Note: this step can be done in advance and the squash can be refrigerated until you want to make your soup.

2. In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat. Once melted, add diced onion. Cook onion, stirring until it becomes soft and clear. Add squash and chicken broth, and stir to combine ingredients. If using an apple in the recipe, add it at this point. Bring pot to a light boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavours.

3. Using a blender—which may require dividing the soup into multiple small batches—puree soup until smooth. Once pureed, add cream. Stir well and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes to warm through.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy.

The soup can be frozen or kept in the fridge for up to three or four days.

As is often the case with incoming international students, I was amazed by the size of Queen’s campus and its wide variety of facilities. Everything in Canada seems bigger than the equivalents in my home country—a point that came up a lot with fellow exchange students during Orientation Week.

The drinks here are bigger, foods have larger portions, and even ice cream scoops are fuller. To cope with this increased intake, I wish to maintain my health by going to the gym, swimming or joining classes and sport clubs at the ARC. Create academic objectives

There are many events and fun activities

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

at Queen’s, but it’s important to try not to forget about studying.

No matter what the subject matter is, it always helps me to set casual study goals so I consistently become more comfortable with course material.

I’m taking a few courses about Indigenous languages, cultures and peoples this year. A goal of mine is to read three novels written by Indigenous authors by the end of the fall term.

Take advantage of campus safety

I used Walkhome the day after I was introduced to the service during the New, Exchange, Worldly, Transfer Students (NEWTS) Orientation, and I already can’t recommend it enough.

Since I was in a new place, I felt really scared and helpless on my way home at night, even though I was walking with a friend.

I called Walkhome and they came about ten minutes later. I enjoyed conversing with them as they walked me to my door, and I’m thankful a useful and important service like this is so easily available.

LIFESTYLE

16 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, Sept 21, 2018

POSTSCRIPT

Facing our fears in float therapy An hour without light, sensation or phones

Josh and Ally walking into Immerse Spa.

Josh Granovsky and Ally Mastantuono Lifestyle Editors Josh: In high school, I had nightmares where I was horrifyingly buried alive.

A few years later, I was asking Kingston’s Immerse Spa to drop me into a pitch-black sensory deprivation tank. You can imagine my internal shock.

Immerse Spa specializes in float therapy, where you lie in a closed pod that contains a few inches of water with 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt in it. You float in the saltwater and there’s no light in the pod, leaving your body to lose all physical sensation.

Ally: When we booked the appointment I quickly realized I was days away from facing one of my biggest fears: tight spaces.

As a long-time claustrophobe, first triggered by being locked in a Dairy Queen bathroom at the ripe age of four, I shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a dark, glorified bathtub for over an hour.

As a long-time claustrophobe...

I shuddered at the thought of being trapped in a dark, glorified bathtub for over an hour.

J: After avoiding research for as long as possible, I was eventually forced to learn some details about the float therapy. Though I still wasn’t thrilled to spend time in a water-coffin, a bigger, more terrifying fear about floating quickly emerged: self-reflection.

I worried a certain type of introspection would throw me into an abyss of my deepest emotions.

Would I dredge up a painful childhood trauma I’d blocked out and no longer remembered? Was

my surprise, it felt pretty great.

I going to discover a new passion roomy, and lock-free.

Aside from a few At first, I kept the pod’s lid wide and have to uproot my entire life? Would I realize The Truman open, flicked on its funky coloured darkness-induced optical illusions, Show wasn't actually my favourite lights, and focused on floating in the and a minor hallucination where I thought I saw the demon movie? The possibilities left tank’s ultra-buoyant saltwater.

Part of me knew swimming in from the horror film The Nun, me chilled.

A: I was sure that my fear of the low-gravity tub would be the the distraction-free tank was being unable to escape—and closest I’d ever come to floating extremely peaceful.

J: As I moved from side to my general dislike of complete in space. Naturally, I took full darkness—would force me to advantage. I was happy to paddle side, I began reviewing my recent throw in the towel before stepping around and push myself from one activities—in school, work, and my personal life—and asked myself side of the pod to the other. foot in the spa.

J: My actual floating experience if they had made me happy. Since When we arrived and spoke to Spence, the spa’s owner, my is a little hazy—as to be expected the only part of me I could feel was when you have no concept of time my brain and metaphorical gut, I expectations shot up. figured it was a good time to let my He ensured us that floating or where your body is located.

As soon as I entered the water, purest emotions do the talking. was a personal experience and After around 20 minutes of no one would be forced to do I felt immediate tensions flare up contemplation, the anything they weren’t tank lights turned comfortable with. We'd on and a jet began have full control over running, indicating my the pod’s music, lights time was up. Confused and more. by the abruptness I was ready to hop in of the timer’s end, the lukewarm water and I realized I must’ve face my fears, one stroke unknowingly slept for at a time. most of my tank time.

J: It would take two A: Without light, hours—an hour and sound or smell, it 15 minutes to float, and was easy to nod off 20 minutes to shower into a place between before and after. waking and sleeping in Once we were in PHOTO BY AMELIA RANKINE the pod. our separate rooms, An open floatation pod.

In this halfI began pacing and conscious state, nothing seemed to texting friends, asking if I was from every injury I’d ever had.

Then, in an instant, it was matter. For once in my life, I was insane for willingly removing all all gone. The line between truly worry-free. my sensations.

J: After a puzzling As I went to respond to a my skin and the water message, I accidentally pulled up blurred, as did the difference reintroduction to gravity my to-do list for the week and got between having my eyes open upon exiting the pod, I felt an overwhelming sense of zen. I a whiff of all the responsibilities or closed. kept my floating mentality intact that awaited me outside my simple through the night and well into the pod room.

The line between my

next morning.

Suddenly, losing all sensations skin and the water A: The loopy feeling that came sounded like a great idea. blurred, as did the with achieving pure relaxation I threw my clothes in a corner, difference between wore off quickly. As soon as I took a two-minute shower, turned off the music and lights, and having my eyes open left the pod and re-entered the well-lit real world, I was back to my slipped into my floatation pod. or closed. everyday self.

A: After a long, relaxing shower, While my muscles felt loose I figured it was time to crack open A: Eventually, I shut myself into and my head a little foggy, my the pod.

The floating chamber—basically the floatation pod and hesitantly internal dialogue—which had been a giant bathtub with a lid—was turned off the lights—fully muted in the tub—picked up right everything I needed it to be: clean, depriving myself of my senses. To where it left off, listing chores I

PHOTO BY AMELIA RANKINE

had yet to complete.

I spent the rest of my night snuggled in bed, leafing through textbooks and riding the wave of post-float tranquility.

The next morning, however, brought new obligations and soon my time at Immerse felt like a distant memory.

J: Re-acclimating to the stressful life of a Queen’s student occurred faster than I would’ve liked, and I didn’t seem to carry any direct effects from the floating into my next few days—other than the satisfaction of not discovering a dark, hidden, personal truth.

A: While my experience at the spa wasn't life changing, floating is definitely something I’d do again.

It allowed me to strip away my inhibitions and focus on being instead of doing.

J: I’m glad I floated, since it’s a rarity these days to do nothing for an hour but think about yourself—especially outside of social media, also known as stalking yourself on Instagram.

A: The best part of the entire experience was conquering my fear of tight spaces—to an extent—and finding peace in the darkness. We rewarded our bravery with a scoop of ice cream on the way home.

J: While I didn’t find God in a sensory deprivation tank—or even any cast members from The Nun—I had a great time simultaneously forgetting who I was and learning about myself.

I would do it again in a heartbeat—which I’m sure the floating slowed down.

To watch a video of Josh and Ally's experience, visit queensjournal.ca/ lifestyle