The Queen's Journal, Volume 143, Issue 28

Page 1

the

Queen’s University

FACULTY SOCIETIES

journal

Vol. 143, Issue 24

T h u r s day , M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK DIVIDES QUEEN’S CLUBS

ASUS and PHEKSA talk merger Suspension of Phys Ed program has spurred conversations

PERFORMING ARTS

Students struggle to access Isabel

PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR

Students run a mock Israeli checkpoint at University Ave. and Union St.

Palestinian and Israeli groups on campus at odds over week’s demonstrations V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor At the corner of University Ave. and Union St. on Tuesday, “soldiers” patted down students in a demonstration designed to imitate checkpoints run by Israeli defense forces. Students in opposition to the event, meanwhile, stood to the side to explain their discomfort and concerns. The demonstration was part of the Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) organized by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), a student club on campus. It was one of several public demonstrations throughout the week, such as an apartheid wall and a “Die-In” in CoGro’s fireside lounge on Monday. While members of SPHR say the demonstrations are intended to educate students on racism towards Palestinians, members of Israeli

groups believe the events oversimplify complex issues. At Tuesday’s checkpoint, students at the intersection were asked to go on their knees before they were patted down, questioned and finally allowed to go through a set-up barrier. According to a statement provided to The Journal by SPHR, the week “seeks to raise awareness about Israeli apartheid and encourage support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement.” “It is important to emphasize that this is not a religious issue but a political issue between the Nation State of Israel and the colonized, Stateless Indigenous people of Palestine,” it reads. “Palestinians are not victims, but vital and productive people who just want to live their lives and prosper like anyone else, but have See Israel on page 4

Students attempting to use spaces at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts often face large fees — at times hundreds of dollars — despite the centre’s mandate to enhance students’ skills in the arts. The Isabel was intended as a learning space to foster the creativity of students in fine arts, film, drama and music. But those same students can encounter financial barriers when attempting to use the centre. Stephen Trivieri, ArtSci ’16, is a film student who has worked on projects such as To The Isabel, a film that explores the move into the Isabel. When Trivieri asked to screen his film this year in the Isabel’s screening room, which seats 92 people and features a state-of-the-art digital projector, he was asked to hand over $120. He discovered that the room’s availability is controlled by the Isabel rather than the Film Department. “That’s a classroom. I have classes in there. But if I want to use it, the [Isabel] would have to bill the Film department, who then in turn wanted to bill me,” he said. The Film Department eventually agreed to front any costs that Trivieri was unable to raise through at-the-door charges. Even so, he said, the arrangement then affected the Film Department’s own yearly spending. “This is ridiculous! You know, they have a budget to maintain too,” he said. It wasn’t the first time he’s been asked for a large fee. In 2014,

See PHEKSA on page 2

See Isabel on page 2

FEATURES

EDITORIALS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OPINIONS

ARTS

SPORTS

Non-profits divert waste Don’t blame Senate from food outlets for the fall reading week proposal

Talking Heads of years past

Trump’s not the first to hijack “liberal” music for a campaign

Point/Counterpoint: should Queen’s sell alcohol at games?

page 3

page 6

page 9

page 12

Online:

page 5 queensjournal.ca

1873

V ictoria G ibson Assistant News Editor

M ikayla W ronko Assistant News Editor Shortly after an announcement that admissions to the Physical and Health Education program will be suspended, talks have begun concerning a potential merger between the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) and the Physical & Health Education and Kinesiology Student Association (PHEKSA). Were a merger to occur, PHEKSA would become a sibling society of ASUS — meaning students who belong to PHEKSA would also belong to ASUS and would enjoy the benefits of both societies. The most recent version of the agenda for today’s ASUS Assembly contains a motion to add PHEKSA as a sibling society under the ASUS constitution. While ASUS student leaders acknowledge the impact of the suspension, they say the idea arose from pre-existing conversations. ASUS President Brandon Jamieson confirmed to The Journal via an email statement that ASUS initiated conversations with the current and incoming PHEKSA executive about ways to reintroduce PHEKSA as a sibling society. PHEKSA separated from ASUS three years ago after a referendum vote. Physical & Health Education and Kinesiology (PHE/Kin) students cited a perceived lack of value in the student fee they paid each year as motivation for the split. Barriers to the merger include reinstating the ASUS fee and the timeline

since

page 8

WIMF 2016 CANCELLED

@queensjournal

facebook.com/queensjournal

instagram.com/queensjournal


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.