The Queen's Journal, Volume 146, Issue 14

the journal

Queen’s University

Vol. 146, Issue 14

Friday, November 16, 2018

Since 1873

Japan, Korea and China tell students lose pot or face legal risk Exchange students may face stiff consequences for cannabis consumption in Canada R aechel H uizinga Assistant News Editor

China, South Korea, and Japan want their international students to just say no.

The countries’ embassies have issued a warning to exchange students, advising them to refrain from smoking cannabis after its legalization in Canada last month. The countries still prohibit the substance’s consumption, often carrying stiff penalties for its possession and use.

Hinano Kobayashi, an exchange student from Housei University in Tokyo, told The Journal that after the warning

she received in October, she doesn’t want to risk the legal consequences of consuming cannabis.

According to the email, Japanese students who consume cannabis while studying in Canada will be the target of punishment.

“I’m scared about what they mean by target of punishment,” Kobayashi said. “It’s so vague, and I should just refrain from using [cannabis].”

When Kobayashi came to Canada this fall, she was surprised by the difference in drug culture.

“I was so surprised,” she said. “It was just

so strange because we were taught in school [cannabis] is so bad. Don’t use it because your body will get destroyed and addicted to it and your whole life will end.”

“But then, [in Canada], there were people smoking weed on the street everywhere,” she added. “I could smell it everywhere.”

After witnessing Canada’s more open attitude towards cannabis consumption, Kobayashi said her perspective about drugs changed.

“At first, I thought [cannabis] was so bad too, and [those who use it] should be punished because it’s illegal in Japan,” she said.

See Cannabis on page 2

how world war i shaped queen ’ s campus See our Feature on page 5

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

THE M aggie G owland Assistant Sports Editor

Queen’s vs. Guelph on Nov. 11.

After a perfect season for the men’s rugby team, the Turner Trophy is staying home.

On Sunday, the Gaels (10-0) won their 24th OUA championship after a commanding 48-10 win over the Guelph Gryphons (8-2). The previous seven OUA finals have featured Queen’s against Guelph, with the former winning six.S The Gaels continued to prove their worth among the league’s best, capping their 2018-19 season with an undefeated record—including three convincing playoff wins. Currently, the team’s winning streak is 20 matches long, dating back to 2016.

This season’s championship run marks the team’s 20th straight OUA playoff appearance.

Overall, Sunday’s game went even better than Head Coach Dave Butcher expected—especially the first half.

“It was without a doubt the best 40 minutes I’ve seen the team play this year,” Butcher told The Journal in an interview. “I genuinely can’t remember one error we made in the first half.”

PHOTO BY AUDRIC PATRICK

MEN’S RUGBY WIN 24TH TURNER TROPHY Gaels dominate Guelph 48-10 in championship game, extending win streak to 20 games

See Men’s Rugby on page 11

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

WEEK

OF

DAVID VASSOS

LOCAL STARDOM INSPIRES ABSURDIST THEATRE PIECE

• David Vassos, ArtSci ’20, made a name for himself around campus this week after turning a meme-related saga into a piece of absurdist theatre.

• After posting various memes about the now-defunct Tilt app to the Overheard at Queen’s Facebook group, Vassos was removed from the group for violating its anti-spam rules. His banning spurred a flurry of posts by the group’s members, who advocated for Vassos’ reinstatement and lamented the group administrators’ decision.

• Vassos took his removal from the group in stride, and saw the situation as an opportunity to showcase his art.

What was initially advertised as a rally became Vassos’ absurdist, five-minute play entitled The Rise and Fall of Titus Zuckerbezoz.

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

See Vassos on page 14

EDITORIALS

OPINIONS

ARTS

SPORTS

LIFEST YLE

Kingston must increase supports for the homeless

page 6

The pride flag stands for peace, not totalitarianism

Wet Hot Canadian Improv show starts run at Clark Hall

Season grades for Queen’s fall varsity teams

Standing strong against anti-Semitism in Kingston

queensjournal.ca

@queensjournal

page 7

page 10

@queensjournal

page 12

@queensjournal

page 16

@thequeensjournal

News

2 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

No longer ‘treading water,’ AMS Food bank goes digital Service launches Food for Thought campaign after fee increase Raechel Huizinga Assistant News Editor For the first time since opening in 1996, the AMS food bank has eliminated a paper trail of patron identities, switching to a digital system and no longer recording student numbers.

Besides showing the volunteers a valid student card to verify student status, patrons now check a box agreeing to the service’s terms and conditions and leave suggestions for improvement all on a tablet.

Meanwhile, the food bank will also launch the Food for Thought campaign from Nov. 19 to 23, which will include community dinners and awareness projects.

It’s part of a broader effort to combat the stigma surrounding food bank use on campus.

According to current food bank Manager Stewart Langley, ArtSci ’19, these additions foster a more

dignified environment for patrons.

“It didn’t feel right to be asking people for their student numbers and to sign [an agreement],” Langley said. “We didn’t really have a very legitimate reason why we even needed that.”

“Part of our service is trust, and we don’t have to worry about not trusting people,” he added.

Patrons also have the option of creating a user identification name, which Langley said could be non-identifying.

Food requests now follow an electronic process, which Langley said prevents the service from losing the requests and creates inventory data the food bank can analyze at the end of the year. He noted the new system will be especially beneficial to international students or those who require halal food items.

Langley said in the past, the bank faced occasional concerns while recording number of visits per week, volume of food taken, or the popularity of certain items.

“It’s something we’re making a priority,” he said. “I think the only way to decide what we want to do is actually understanding the students who use our service and understanding how

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Stewart Langley at the AMS Food Bank in the JDUC.

effective our service is.”

Funding issues previously complicated the bank’s ability to focus on organization, fresh produce, and student preferences.

Before the food bank’s student fee increased from $1 to $2 in 2017, Langley told The Journal the service’s funding was “a huge problem.”

“Talking to some patrons who’d been at Queen’s for a long time, it used to be pretty hectic,” he said.

Langley said the food bank would only be open for a few select hours, causing a huge line and shortage of food. “It wasn’t dignified.”

According to Langley, funding is no longer an issue.

“It’s really nice to have that shift in focus, where it’s less on treading water and more on getting students to know about our service and spread awareness about what food insecurity looks like,” he said.

Since the student fee increase, the food bank has been able to transition into a grocery store

model, allowing patrons to act as individual shoppers when choosing food.

Patrons no longer have to take a receipt from the food bank with them like they did in the past, Langley said.

“You don’t have to bring anything out of the food bank except the food,” he said. “You don’t have to be registered, and I think that makes it more accessible and open, which comes back to having a dignified service.”

H o w e v e r, despite improvements to the food bank, Langley said the stigma around its use remains.

“Especially on Queen’s campus, there’s really big stigma that a lot of people come from affluent backgrounds,” he said, adding progress can be challenging when “people don’t think [food insecurity] is something students could go through.”

“They can’t wrap their heads around it, but it’s a very big issue.”

Recalling a taxi driver who criticized him for buying groceries for a food bank

at Queen’s, Langley said the Kingston community can sometimes misjudge students’ financial situations.

“People kind of dismiss you.

It doesn’t make it harder to do our jobs. It just makes it feel less important,” he said. “But when you go back to the food bank at the end of the day, the work doesn’t feel unimportant.”

Beth Miller, ArtSci ’20, who began volunteering at the AMS food bank in 2017, also agreed this stigma can be discouraging, but said the importance of the work overshadows any doubts.

“The people that talk to us say, ‘Now I can feed my kids tonight,’” she told The Journal. “It just makes you feel so good knowing you can help [patrons] and there is someplace they can go to get food,” she said.

“They don’t have to worry about it, there’s a place they can go.”

The food bank is located in room 343 of the JDUC and is open daily from 5 to 6:30 p.m. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

‘Avoid anything to do with cannabis’

Continued from front ...

relationship between Canada and South Korea, Jeong said international students should be careful while studying in Canada.

“As long as you don’t make things obvious, as long as you don’t say too much and don’t say unnecessary things, you should

“But now that I see a lot of people smoking weed, I don’t understand why we have to be punished. I think legalization in Canada brought doubts,” she said. “It’s so strict in Japan [and] I don’t get why they’re so strict.”

Henry Yeonsu Jeong, ArtSci ’19, told The Journal there’s also a strict attitude about cannabis consumption in South Korea.

“Since the republic of Korea is a country with a low crime rate, they are also going to be taking stronger measures against those convicted of such crimes,” he said.

While he’s been a Canadian citizen for 10 years, Jeong regularly visits South Korea to see his family and believes the warnings from embassies are “a diplomatically appropriate measure.”

“It is about keeping things stable and in good relations,” not be in trouble,” he said.

Jeong said.

“Just avoid anything to do with To encourage a good cannabis and don’t say anything

The embassy warned students to “behave well while you are studying in North America and say no to weed,” according to the email.

stupid,” he continued. “It’s about common sense, it’s about respecting the country’s customs and not getting in trouble.”

Unlike Kobayashi and Jeong, Lily Jiang, ArtSci ’19, doesn’t think cannabis consumption while studying in Canada is a big deal.

She grew up in China, and also received an email from her embassy on Nov. 14.

The embassy warned students to “behave well while you are studying in North America and say no to weed,” according to the email.

But while her parents are worried, Jiang told The Journal for her, “nothing’s really changed.”

She also doesn’t believe an exchange student from China would be punished for consuming cannabis while studying in Canada, and believes the embassy’s email was simply a reminder to avoid doing so in the US. “[Students] can use it,” she said regarding cannabis consumption.

“It doesn’t matter.”

4/20 celebrations at Parlaiment Hill in 2015.

PHOTO BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT

News

Friday, November 16, 2018

queensjournal.ca • 3

News in brief Faculty societies, rector, AMS Board, respond to Tyrrell firing The rector, the AMS Board of Directors, and multiple faculty societies have issued statements in response to a Nov. 9 Journal article detailing the firing of AMS Judicial Affairs Manager, Brandon Tyrrell.

On Nov. 9, ASUS published a statement saying the Society is “aware of the allegations against the Alma Mater Society” and are working to understand the situation.

The Society also said they’ll work to ensure “the AMS is held accountable to their actions.”

The Engineering Society and Commerce Society also issued similar statements, promising to hold the AMS accountable and to gain a clearer understanding of the firing’s circumstances.

On Nov. 9, the Office of the Rector also issued a statement addressing the situation.

Rector Alex da Silva wrote she didn’t comment on the Nov. 9 Journal article because she is “in the process of developing a holistic perspective of the situation, possible next steps, and mechanisms of the AMS and JAO which led to this situation.”

On Nov. 12, the AMS Board of Directors issued a statement addressing the firing of Tyrrell.

The Board wrote they take the allegations reported by The Journal “very seriously” and met recently without the AMS executive or general manager to discuss the situation.

The Board also expressed concerns over the story’s accuracy in respect to the date Mikela Page, board chair, was informed about the Judicial Affairs disclosure and her opportunity to comment.

“We cannot comment on privileged and confidential information; however, the Board is looking into the situation and will update as appropriate.”

—Iain Sherriff-Scott

Two honourary degrees awarded in Fall convocation At Fall convocation, Queen’s presented Sylvia Maracle (Skonaganleh:ra) and Reeta Roy with honourary degrees.

Maracle is the executive director of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres and has been involved with the group for more than 45 years. An Order of Canada appointee, Maracle has championed issues surrounding justice, health, employment, housing, and women’s issues for urban Indigenous peoples.

A Mohawk and member of the Wolf Clan, Maracle is from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory west of Kingston.

Roy is the president and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation. She’s focused the organization’s efforts on its work in Africa, pledging more than US $2.1 billion to education and financial inclusion.

Roy has acted as a representative of the philanthropic sector at the United Nations, the World Bank, and other international organizations.

Maracle was be honoured at the second convocation ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Roy received her honours at the fifth ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 15.

—Iain Sherriff-Scott

Ground broken on new building in Williamsville Builders will break ground this month on a 10-story, 325-unit residential development at 652 Princess St., the City announced in a Nov. 9 press release.

The mixed-use building will have 680 square meters of ground floor commercial space and space for an outdoor patio.

City council approved IN8 Developments’ request to develop the lot on the south Ontario Court of Justice on Wellington Street. side of Princess Street, between Victoria Street and Nelson Street, on July 10. The Carnovsky Bakery heritage building will also be restored during the development.

The project’s timeline anticipates residency by Fall 2020.

Man jailed for harassing students

—Michelle Allan

University research fund open for applications On Nov. 13, the Queen’s Research Opportunities Fund (QROF) competition began accepting applications from members of the Queen’s community.

According to a University statement, the fund “offers opportunities to leverage external funding to build on areas of institutional research strength.”

QROF is made up of four different funds spanning several academic disciplines.

The Research Leaders’ Fund supports the University’s research strengths and priorities. The International Fund is meant to increase the University’s global engagement. The Arts Fund supports artists at Queen’s and their scholarly contributions to the community.

The Post-Doctoral Fund aims to attract post-doctoral fellows to the university.

“The QROF represents our most significant internal investment in supporting research excellence at Queen’s,” Kimberly Woodhouse, interim vice-principal (research), said in a statement.

The Research Leaders’ and International funds will be accepting applications until Dec. 15. Applications for the Arts Fund will be accepted until March 1 and applications for the Post-Doctoral Fund will be accepted until Jan. 30.

—Iain Sherriff-Scott

Grant Hall.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO

PHOTO BY IAIN SHERRIFF-SCOTT

Matthew D. Schneider pleaded guilty to two counts on Friday

walked away. She later reported the incident to Kingston Police.

Iain Sherriff-Scott News Editor A man who harassed Queen’s students with racial slurs and sexually aggressive behaviour was jailed on Friday after pleading guilty to two counts.

Matthew D. Schneider, a 26-year-old local man, pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice last week to two counts of criminal harassment and a violation

[It] needs to be denounced.

You need to be deterred.

Other like-minded individuals, and I hope there are none out there, need to be deterred.

—Justice Larry O’Brien

of probation.

Justice Larry O’Brien sentenced Schneider to 360 days in jail and three years of probation. Schneider was also ordered to complete assessments and counselling on racial diversity.

He’s been barred from Kingston’s downtown core and areas around Queen’s.

Most recently, Schneider’s conduct included racist harassment of two Asian Queen’s students.

On March 2, one of the victims left her apartment at Princess Street and Albert Street at 3:30 p.m. when she noticed Schneider on the sidewalk. The victim crossed the street and waited at a bus stop.

Schneider followed the victim to the bus stop and stood nearby.

The victim then noticed Schneider was taking photos of her on his cellphone. She tried to block his view with her hand and

Schneider had been involved with law enforcement in the past for targeting women of colour with aggressive racist and sexual language.

The next day, the victim and her roommate were walking home when they saw Schneider standing across the street taking photos of them with his cellphone.

The two women could see Schneider using the flash function on his cellphone as he took photos. The Crown prosecutor, Gerard Laarhuis, told Justice O’Brien that Schneider yelled to the two women, saying he was going to post the photos to Twitter and adult websites.

The two women informed Kingston Police of the incident and provided a description of Schneider. Based on his previous criminal history, Police were suspicious of Schneider’s involvement.

Schneider had been involved with law enforcement in the past for targeting women of colour with aggressive racist and sexual language.

When Police arrested Schneider and requested to look at his cellphone, he obliged. Police searched the phone and found several photos of young women.

Dan Scully, Schneider’s attorney, argued for a lesser sentence of nine months in custody, instead of 360 days.

The Crown prosecutor argued Schneider harboured “clearly racist beliefs [that] he couples them with sexually aggressive words to young women.”

“Deterrence and denunciation have to take a front seat,” he said.

During sentencing, Justice O’Brien said Schneider’s conduct was unacceptable. “[It] needs to be denounced. You need to be deterred. Other like-minded individuals, and I hope there are none out there, need to be deterred,” he told Schneider.

4 •queensjournal.ca

News

Friday, November 16, 2018

Local shop tackles bike theft Survey reveals more than half of Kingston cyclists struggle with bicycle theft Raechel Huizinga Assistant News Editor After a pair of local bike shop employees noticed more bikes with missing wheels locked up ON racks around Kingston than full bicycles, they set out to do something about it.

From August to November, Carla Teixeira and Graeme Healey of Frontenac Cycle ran a survey asking cyclists about their experiences with bicycle theft.

Of the 254 people who participated in the survey, nearly half reported having at least one bike stolen. Only 15 per cent reported no bikes stolen. The remaining 25 per cent reported more than one bike stolen.

The survey also revealed a collective monetary loss of $150,000 in stolen bikes

or parts.

The pair compiled their data into a report and sent it to the City and Kingston Police.

According to Healey, they wrote the report because anecdotal evidence wasn’t enough.

“Until you have an actual hard set of data to bring somebody, they don’t really take you as seriously,” Healey said in a phone interview with The Journal.

Though the pair can present hard data to the City, Healey said Kingston’s issue with bicycle theft is a “broken window” type of problem, referencing the view that visible crime encourages further illegal acts.

“If you clean up the smaller problems in your society, bigger problems will also go away,” he said.

Healey said some of those smaller problems include limited bicycle parking locations and police patrol, as well as a lack of reporting thefts.

“With the helpless nature of bike theft, and the prospect of never getting it back being all too real, people just give up,” he said.

Teixeira added many of her customers would complain about stolen bikes and

parts when they came into the shop, but few along with physical activity and being out reported to the police. in the open with the fresh air,” she said.

“The police need numbers,” she told “People will know when they come out of a The Journal in a phone interview. “You restaurant or the movie theatre their bike can tell people there’s 1000 bikes stolen will still be there.” every month, but if the police only get 10 “They won’t have that worry in their calls, then they only think 10 bikes have heads at all time,” she added. “People been stolen.” shouldn’t have to live with that constant fear.”

Teixeira also said because students are especially vulnerable to bicycle theft, there should be more bicycle parking locations in the University District.

On Nov. 15, Kingston Police issued a press release in response to the report.

“Our officers often stop suspicious persons in possession of bicycles or bicycle parts, but if no report has been made the officer may not be able to act,” the press release stated.

The statement stressed mutual support —Graeme Healey and awareness is the key to decreasing bike theft in Kingston.

“As with any criminal activity, the best solution is a community approach,” the Teixeira discussed how enhanced statement said. bicycle security could improve Kingston for Bicycle owners can register their its citizens. bikes with the Kingston Police Bike “There’s a lot of health benefits that come Watch Program.

With the helpless nature of bike theft, and the prospect of never getting it back being all too real, people just give up.

New lecture series Panel talks effects ignites interest of drug price hikes in academia

Professors share research projects with middle and secondary school students Rachel Aiken Assistant News Editor The first talk of a new lecture series aimed to inspire high-school students to reach new academic heights was held last night.

The IGnite: Inspiring Generations through Research series is a collaboration between The Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute and Queen’s University Relations.

It hopes to inspire middle and high school students in the Kingston community to pursue academia.

At each event, two speakers will give 20-minute presentations on their area of research, their contributions to the field, and their impact. The material hopes to be accessible to anyone interested in attending.

The event also featured the Art of Research Exhibit, which includes photos of research projects.

Meanwhile, demonstrations and posters detailing undergraduate and graduate research were also displayed at the event.

This included Derek Esau, a PhD student in chemistry at Queen’s, and his research on Platinum Surface Electrochemistry.

Another attendee, James Xie, an executive of Queen’s Space Engineering Team (QSET), presented the QSET Mars rover that competed in the 2018 University Rover Challenge in Utah.

The participants all aimed to make research more accessible to the Kingston community, according to Mark Richardson,

education and outreach officer at the McDonald Institute.

“One of the main goals was to bring the Kingston community and the research at Queen’s University together. This is an opportunity for people to think about all the really exciting research going on at the university,” Richardson said.

“I hope that people can hear not just a sample of the demonstrations in these talks.

They can hear a detailed accounting of some of the story that goes behind this research, some of the intrigue and the passion that is there behind that pursuit.”

As the first speaker, Dr. Ken Clark, a member of the MacDonald Institute, presented his lecture, “Illuminating the darkness: A quest for neutrinos and dark matter.”

In the lecture, Clark discussed his work at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Lab (SNOLAB) in Antarctica. “[SNOLAB is] two kilometers underground in an active nickel mine, the project I work on there is called PICO which is a dark matter search experiment so I’m running a project there to try to find out what the dark matter is that’s all around us,” Clark told The Journal.

He said he hopes the young audience is inspired by his experiences and the places his research has taken him.

Alongside Clark, Dr. Jacalyn Duffin delivered the lecture, “Medical miracles: The conjunction of religion and science.”

Duffin’s talk recounted how she investigated medical miracles for the Vatican.

“I think that it’s very important to try to convey the excitement of doing this kind of research and also the significance, the importance of it,” Duffin said.

She told The Journal her main focus is to explain how the humanities, especially history, are relevant to medical practices.

“Historical research invites us to look at our present practices with a certain amount of scepticism,” she said.

Professors host discussion on pharmaceutical industry Sydney Ko Contributor

On Nov. 8, Queen’s University Allied for Essential Medicines (QUAEM) hosted a panel discussion about the causes and consequences of pharmaceutical drug price hikes.

The guest speakers included Jaclyn Duffin, former Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine, Timothy Hanna, assistant professor in the Oncology Department, and Glenn Monteith, vice-president of Innovative Medicines Canada.

Together, the three addressed how a decrease in affordable pharmaceutical drugs, combined with market incentives, affects Canadian health.

When the panel began, Duffin told the audience about a local patient she had nearly a decade ago who suffered from breast cancer and was forced to quit chemotherapy due to extreme nausea.

According to Duffin, the patient’s pharmacist prescribed her an outdated, less-effective drug due to a shortage of appropriate drugs in Kingston. Duffin’s patient couldn’t afford the more effective alternative.

After researching the issue, Duffin found that standardized drug prices had been set so low, companies weren’t profiting—causing a decrease in generic drug production.

Duffin and her research team began measuring the number of drug shortages occurring in Canada. After corresponding with Innovative Medicine of Canada and Monteith, they found there were 1,000 cases of drug shortages every year, with 1,200 different products affected.

A lack of accurate drug shortage information means the public doesn’t know which drugs are scarce, Duffin said.

Meanwhile, in his presentation, Hanna

noted the importance of improving data on drug shortages to inform consumers.

Hanna, a radiation oncologist, also said prices for pharmaceutical drugs can reach expensive levels. He stressed drugs used to treat cancer can often reach six figures, aggravating the long and complicated treatment process.

With such a complicated process, Hanna suggested alternative ways of lowering the prices for cancer treatment.

Hanna explained that by developing efficient methods of research, drug development, and collecting more health data, the price for innovative drugs could be lowered. He said Canada’s healthcare system should prioritize prescription drugs because of the impact insufficient insurance coverage can have on cancer patients.

Since the public is willing to pay for increasingly expensive drugs, institutions are forced to negotiate with drug companies on prices and supplies, Hanna said.

Contrastingly, Monteith discussed the issue from a corporate perspective, saying pharmaceutical companies can often prioritize results over quality. “[The pharmaceutical industry] is business as much as it is science,” he said.

Monteith used Vioxx, a pharmaceutical drug used to treat arthritis, as an example of a successful drug that eventually killed thousands. After it was popularized in 2004, Vioxx caused the deaths of 30,000 people because—while it cured arthritis—it caused severe heart problems.

“This [problem] creates all kinds of uncertainty in the market,” Monteith said.

“It’s important for companies, researchers, and doctors to work closely together.”

By the end of the panel, the three speakers had demonstrated how a decrease in generic drug production, a lack of health prioritization, and an excess of profit prioritization could all contribute to high drug prices and lower public health. journal_news@ams.queensu.ca

Friday, november 16, 2018

Features

queensjournal.ca

•5

IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY

Football became an integral part of the Queen’s identity following World War I.

Hannah Stafl Features Editor It was 1919. For the students entering or returning to Queen’s after the Great War, campus wouldn’t be the same.

When World War I ended, Canadians began the process of attempting to justify its enormous cost. It was the first large-scale, foreign war Canada had fought in. Sixty-thousand were ultimately killed, leaving a gaping hole in the lives of citizens from coast to coast.

In the Queen’s community, many faculty were British and Scottish. They felt it was their duty to rush to Britain’s side in the war effort. Many of Queen’s able-bodied students left to serve. As a result, around 1,500 men and women from Queen’s would leave to fight—a large proportion of the university at the time, according to Queen’s historian Duncan McDowall.

When the dust had settled, 189 of them would never come back.

In the years following WWI, there was a concerted effort to commemorate the conflict on campus. This attempt to remember the war, and accept the death of so many, became a force that shaped Queen’s.

Some students returned from the battlefield with a limp or missing limbs.

Others would return with shrapnel embedded in their skin, only to later die of related infections. Many also had emotional trauma from the war, riddled with memories of their fallen cohorts and time in the trenches.

Patrick Edwards, Comm ‘68, told The Journal in an email he remembers his father recounting stories of this time. His father, Hubert, began his degree at Queen’s in 1919.

He initially began in Arts but eventually graduated in mechanical engineering. While he was too young to serve, many of Hubert’s classmates had endured the experience of war.

Hubert recalled to his son that some former servicemen would mimic the sounds of artillery shells in class, a noise that had terrified soldiers during the war.

Sports were one way to deal with the trauma the war left behind. They gave some veterans the comforting, familiar feeling of a military unit.

It was also a representation of masculinity. When the war began, men were expected to do the manly thing and go serve their country. Once they returned,

sports offered them a similar chance to prove themselves.

When all was said and done, some even compared the war to a big sports game.

Those on the battlefields did their very best, played their best game, and in the end, some won and some lost.

Football in particular provided meaning in a community trying to wrap its head around the horrors of the war, the lives lost. The centre of the newfound interest in football at Queen’s was the newly created George Taylor Richardson Memorial Stadium.

The Richardson family, notably James

PHOTO PROVIDED BY QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES, V28-B-RICHS1-1

When the men eventually did return home, women were reluctant to give up the new freedoms they’d been granted. Their changed roles during the war were the start of a chain of events that led to them gaining power across campus.

Change came with the creation of the Ban Righ Centre in 1926, a female-only residence. While the thought that women needed to be sheltered had been around for a while, the university was reluctant to fund a place to house them during the economic downturn of the ’20s.

In the end, it was female alumni of Queen’s who stepped in, raising money

A campus history written in war Attempts to reconcile World War I shaped Queen’s during the post-war period

Armstrong Richardson, funded the majority of the stadium in memory of George Taylor Richardson, his brother.

George attended Queen’s and graduated in 1906. He was a strong athlete, playing football and hockey for the Gaels during his university career.

After it opened in 1921, the stadium would go on to represent many football victories, with Queen’s winning three consecutive Grey Cups in the 1920s.

It would become a centerpiece of the Queen’s identity, and the epitome of the era’s prized manliness.

The focus on sports became the ultimate manifestation of the male-dominated culture after the war. However, while the men fought battles and drove tanks during war, women came into their own at Queen’s.

While some women found work in first aid and medicine, there were many more male students missing from campus in the four years of conflict. In their absence, women were given the chance to assert their strengths and move into areas left vacant by soldiers.

During the war, the university looked more like a women’s institution than anything else.

that would go towards the construction of the residence.

It was a change made by women, for women.

Ban Righ, while not created in memorium of the war, was a result of newly-empowered women able to act in their own interests after experiencing a temporary reprieve of ingrained gender roles during the war.

The changes experienced in society, and Queen’s specifically, also meant the shift of a dominantly Presbyterian and straight-laced campus to a more lively, social environment.

After the war, dances, balls, and other social events became staples of everyday life at Queen’s.

Whatever happened during the war, upon return there was a sentiment that one might as well enjoy life when there could be another one around the corner. The students became intent on simply living their lives to the fullest while they still could.

The school flew into the roaring ’20s with vigour, its legacy now shaped by sociability and enthusiasm.

While the idea of a student-centric social centre was around before the war, the conflict put plans to a halt. When those who

served returned—and with a larger student body than before—the need for a common area for socializing returned in full force.

It was in this era of school spirit and vivacity that the Students’ Memorial Union was created in 1928, after the necessary funds were raised.

Students could gather to have dinner, tea, or simply chat. Even though women had gained new roles and influence during the war, at its inception, the Union was for men only.

It was also home to the room of commemoration, filled with photos of those lost in the war. At the Union, students remembered their fallen peers and attempted to create a sense of community when they needed it.

While they did enjoy themselves on their time off, the students attending Queen’s in the wake of the war certainly weren’t lacking motivation in their studies.

The Fifth Field Company, another legacy of WWI, was a military unit during the conflict. They’d be a key force in developing the Queen’s bookstore, a fixture on campus today.

The Fifth Field Company Engineers, mainly from Queen’s, formed their own military unit prior to the war and went off to fight together. When they went abroad, they built bridges and did excavation work.

Upon return, the group would provide the initial financing for the Queen’s bookstore, previously known as Technical Supplies, and would become active alumni in raising money for scholarships. Today, Clark Hall is located where the group initially housed Technical Supplies.

This unit, alongside several similar groups, helped bring Queen’s to its current status.

When the Fifth Field Unit were back on Canadian soil, they expected things to be the same as when they left. Generally, this was the sentiment among the Queen’s community. There was no imagining otherwise—the country had never participated in a war of this scale before.

However, it never would be the same.

A campus full of veterans was perhaps the clearest manifestation of the national changes that the war would bring, but only one of many.

In the end, the severity of the war and need to legitimize its sacrifices, along with the new roles for men and women, would shape the lives, buildings, and traditions of modern-day Queen’s.

6 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

EDITORIALS Kingston leaves homeless women in the cold

The Journal’s Perspective

A person sleeping on a bench or asking of insufficient resources if they do for change doesn’t capture the full scope of become homeless. homelessness. It’s largely an invisible issue, To break the overall stigma and spread over rural and urban areas alike and provide a solution, Kingston approved a often masked by persistent stereotypes.

10-Year Municipal Housing & But this vulnerability remains for a Homelessness Plan in 2013. The variety of reasons, especially for women plan was meant to provide 80 in Kingston. per cent of chronically homeless A recent survey revealed that Kingstonians with stable housing the percentage of women among by 2023. homeless people in Kingston is more than The Homelessness Plan argues twice the national average. Other areas of Kingston is over-served by shelter beds Canada’s homeless populations is, on and recommends decreasing average, 27 per cent women. In Kingston, shelter sizes. However, this assumes that number spikes to 55 per cent. a housing access increase, which When dependent children are included, it’s isn’t the case in a city with a large and 60 per cent. growing student population.

This doubling points to a systemic Given that it’s already 2018, the problem: there’s a gap in services that’s Homelessness Plan looks poised to fall being insufficiently addressed. short of its initial aims. Homeless Despite its widespread impacts, people in Kingston are increasingly homeless women can keep their vulnerable, and they deserve better precarious living situations private. resources and understanding from In other cases, they stay in abusive or the city and its community. treacherous situations for fear If Kingston wants to reduce

homelessness, it needs to offer more widespread support.

With resources for those without homes centralized in urban areas, it’s difficult for rural homeless people to access food, shelter and hygiene.

All-gender shelters might deter some women from seeking refuge, and the city should address that.

More women-only emergency shelters wouldn’t only consider the specific needs of homeless women, but it’d also open up otherwise unavailable space for homeless men.

Additional resources for homeless people—especially disproportionately vulnerable women and families—would

do more than keep them safe and healthy. Their increased presence in Kingston would further decrease the stigma of invisibility around homelessness.

Homeless people are Kingstonians and it’s imperative we understand that nobody wants to be homeless.

The City must increase its range of homeless supports to alleviate homeless people’s shame and provide them with resources they can use to achieve the safety and shelter they fundamentally deserve.

There’s no question coding is a skill worth developing in the 21st century.

Whether you’re an artist designing a website or an astronomer observing the galaxy, computer science impacts every discipline.

If I told you I spent my summer at a pathology lab, white coats and microscopes might be the first images that come to mind. That’s what I initially thought would define my experience, but most of my research primarily required the software on my laptop.

I also didn’t expect what I’d learned from Elements of Computing Science to be useful so soon, but my beginner’s knowledge in computing helped me analyze gene expression in a shorter amount of time and with less confusion.

This was just one of many experiences that opened my eyes to the value of learning how to code.

At first I wondered whether I was clever enough to deal with never-ending numbers, but I soon realized that it was not too different from learning any other subject or language. Computer science challenged me to think creatively through solving its various puzzles.

University is the best time to explore new interests, but you never know what those interests are until you try them out—so consider taking an introductory course in computing as your next elective.

As our generation evolves to become high-tech and data-driven, verbal language isn’t the only standard for communication. The ability to code offers a world of possibilities and empowers you to create your own content instead of merely consuming that of others.

Due to a rapid shift from print to digital, the publishing industry is no longer limited to personal interviews and

written articles. Journalists may also present digital data as reliable news sources, and code infographics to tell stories that capture the public’s attention.

While I’m not suggesting everyone become a software engineer, I do think knowing how to code shouldn’t be limited to those who specialize in the field.

Computer science skills are useful in any career—whether it’s business, healthcare, or journalism.

It’s time to recognize we’re more than millennials with an addiction to social media and a love for avocado toast. We shouldn’t just stay informed on social issues and politics. As young people living in a digitally fluent age, we should be curious about understanding the code that connects us to the news and information we consume.

ILLUSTRATION BY ZIER ZHOU

—Journal Editorial Board

Learning to code decrypts endless advantages

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Zier Zhou THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL

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Volume 146 Issue 14 www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal

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Friday, November 16, 2018

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OPINIONS

Your Perspective

Shelby Harper advocates for historical and moral awareness surrounding the pride flag, the identifying symbol for the LGBTQ+ community.

Talking heads ... have you started

preparing for exams?

Addy Egan, ArtSci ’19

“Not even a little bit.”

Julia Baldaro, Comm '19

“No, absolutely not.”

Olivia Kulbak, Kin ’20

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

Pride stands for peace, not totalitarianism Recognizing that the trauma overcome by the LGBTQ+ community should never be dismissed

Shelby Harper, ArtSci '21

“I don’t have any exams.”

•7

At a conference organized by Rebel Media on Nov. 10, John Carpay, a Canadian lawyer and member of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, referred to pride flags and those bearing Nazi and communist symbols in the same sentence. He said “whether it’s the swastika for Nazi Germany or whether it’s a rainbow flag, the underlying thing is a hostility towards individual freedoms.”

Carpay’s argument relating the pride flag to totalitarianism is morally and logically flawed.

Although he publicly apologized for “unintentionally” drawing a comparison between swastikas and rainbow flags, his insensitive comments highlight the bigotry within some portions of Alberta’s Conservative party.

LGBTQ+ individuals have fought long and hard for the right to live as members of society. The pride flag represents peace and the triumph of this fight, not dictatorship and centralized thinking.

Totalitarianism is a highly centralized and all-encompassing system of government that demands service to the state.

Pride flags, by contrast, are a symbol of choice and peace—the complete opposite.

By comparing the pride flag to a swastika, Carpay fails to recognize the trauma and violence the LGBTQ+ community has faced. He’s suggesting their symbol of positivity has the potential to be dangerous and controlling.

His statement doesn’t only insult marginalized peoples; it’s also historically inaccurate. It presents a troubling message to Alberta lawmakers: discriminatory attitudes towards LGBTQ+ communities are permissible in the right framing.

Carpay, as a lawyer, is supposed to protect the law, as well as the people bound to it. He claims to advocate for freedom of speech, but this freedom is only accessible to certain classes of people, excluding those who don’t fit his political values.

But the irony of claiming to advocate for freedom while making statements that silence certain minority groups is illogical.

Carpay sees the pride flag as a threat to free speech, but his behaviour towards the protection of LGBTQ+ people is a threat towards the Canadian constitution.

It’s disturbing that Carpay allows discriminatory language to take precedent over the well-being of other Canadians.

His harmful rhetoric isn’t just

limited to just flags and symbols.

According to The Canadian Press, he’s supported changing a law in Alberta protecting gay-straight alliances within local schools. If a student chooses to join an LGBTQ+ friendly club—which promotes their safety and security—Carpay believes schools should be legally bound to inform their parents.

Student clubs, like gay-straight alliances, fundamentally encourage inclusion and condemn bullying within a school’s community. By allowing parents to be notified if their child joins such clubs, schools may expose a student seeking help and support from their peers.

Carpay’s reasoning behind the requirement to inform parents of student membership stems from his comment that these LGBTQ+ friendly clubs are “ideological sexual clubs.” But if his legal challenges were to be considered, it may result in the mental health of these student communities to be at risk.

Carpay’s words and actions should be seen as a threat to all Canadians, not only those who identify within the LGBTQ+ community. The pride flag has been a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+

communities for decades. It’s inspired equality and freedom, and represented progressive change.

When voters allow right-wing extremists like Carpay to come into power, they’re allowing him to adversely affect the lives of vulnerable groups in our country.

As people like Carpay represent a dangerous threat to public thought, he and similar others denounce anything that threatens their narrow-minded way of thinking.

These issues affect everyone, especially on a campus like Queens, where issues of freedom of speech and freedom of expression are widely debated.

Although there might be disagreements about how to express our individual freedoms, it’s important for students to reach a consensus of respect for one another and for marginalized individuals.

Recognizing the hardship marginalized groups endured now and in the past and stressing the importance of moving forward allows discrimantory rhetoric like Carpay’s to be cast aside and overcome.

Shelby is a second year English major.

8 • queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

ARTS MAGAZINE REVIEW

Ultraviolet launches new website, call for art Queen’s student magazine asks for local, amateur artists BRITTANY GILIFORTE Assistant Arts Editor Not just a print publication, Ultraviolet accepts art in all forms.

Now in its 23rd year, Ultraviolet’s executive team launched a new website on Nov. 5 and is currently accepting poetry, sketches, painting, short stories, video installations and plays for their April 2019 publication.

Following the new updates, Editors in Chief Katherine Gall and Serene Nekoui have broadened Ultraviolet’s horizons to accommodate more artists.

In past years, the publication didn’t have the resources to showcase video submissions or digital artwork. With the recent launch of Ultraviolet’s website, they’re now able to publish video component, and accept more submissions than ever before.

The website was a natural progression for the growing magazine. With a diverse

Rhiannon Ng Contributor

Since the release of their debut EP Waking in 2016, The Kents have been on the rise in the Canadian music scene.

After their last appearance in Kingston as Serena Ryder’s opening act at last year’s Homecoming concert, they’ll return this Saturday to play The Grad Club.

Hailing from Lindsay, Ont., the four-piece indie rock group has been featured on Hockey Night in Canada, Spotify’s Best of 2016 Viral Hits, and Apple Music’s Rising Stars. Their songs are filled with anthemic refrains and intimate explorations of family growing pains, failing romances, and deep solitude.

However, the band’s rise to streaming sites and sold-out shows began long ago.

In an interview with The Journal, guitarist and lead singer Warren Frank shared how a childhood discovery of music led to the creation of The Kents.

Frank had an affinity for music long before he touched a guitar, thanks to his parents and an early exposure to a range of genres and artists.

“My parents were always playing music in the house, and always encouraging me to be creative, so I knew I loved music from a pretty young age” he said.

He started out playing drums in elementary school, and some of his earliest performances saw him tapping and singing along in his church choir.

In grade 11 music class, he picked up a guitar and began to write his own music.

He met fellow band members Freddy Kwon and Luke Shauf in that class, and it didn’t take long for the three founding members to discover their musical

Ultraviolet magazine is currently accepting submissions for their April 2019 publication.

group of contributors—ranging from students and professional artists to Kingston locals and Ontario artists—it only made sense to create a wider platform.

“That was another goal that we had this year, to really broaden the mediums that we accept,” Gall told The Journal.

Most of the submissions are from students, but Gall and Nekoui said their aim is to reach out to the community to represent a wider variety of people.

“That’s been the evolution of Ultraviolet.

It started out really small, just on campus and it’s still a smaller publication but the base of it, who we’ve been reaching is growing,” Gall said.

Many of their contributing student artists aren’t in arts-related courses.

They’re in life sciences or engineering, and for most of them, it’s their first time sharing artwork.

Gall and Nikoui recognize there just

aren’t many opportunities for students in the science department to publish artwork. They need a creative outlet.

That’s wh e re U l t ra v i o l e t comes in.

“Generally the whole goal of Ultraviolet is to be a safe place for students to push the edge of creativity, because we’re a no-experience necessary magazine,” Gall said.

For vocal artists—spoken word poets, singers, musicians—they organize events with Union Gallery. The events invite the public to pay a small donation supporting the artists.

Whether they’re professionals or amateurs, Ultraviolet is committed to giving each artist the same amount of exposure and support.

After all, sharing your work, especially for the first time, can be an intimidating experience.

“We’re super aware of the fact

BAND PROFILE

Riding Indie waves with The Kents Lead singer talks influences, songwriting, and newest record chemistry and begin playing together.

Their weekly music class assignment consisted of covering popular songs from different musical eras. When they weren’t practicing for school they would jam to medleys of mainstream pop. This experimentation led them to find the first hints of The Kents’ sound.

As they continued to perform in class, Frank’s creative drive began to stir, and it wasn’t long before he was jotting down

original lyrics and experimenting with his own guitar riffs.

“Although I already knew I loved music, it was singing that pushed me to write more and begin performing more,” Frank said.

Plucking through guitar classes, the fledgling band’s influences ranged from the Arkells to Foster the People and Maroon 5.

After high school, the band members

The Kents will be playing The Grad Club on Saturday, Nov. 17.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY LISTEN HARDER

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

that to submit and share your art work is a really personal and deep thing. So even though we may pass on a submission, we want people to know that if they’re interested in submitting we will handle your work with the utmost care and respect,” Gall said.

That’s the goal of Ultraviolet: to be a welcome and nonjudgmental space for all artists to share their work.

Unlike other publications on campus, their magazine doesn’t follow any rules, themes, or promote a political agenda.

“Nothing defines the beauty and the artwork. There’s no specific lifestyle. There’s no right way to do fashion. There’s no right way to write whatever you want to write,” Nekoui told The Journal.

“There’s beauty in the expression you have and there’s beauty in the individuality that you have.” dispersed to pursue post-secondary studies, with Shauf moving to Chicago, Kwon to Kingston, and Frank to Toronto, where he studied media production at Ryerson. Over the winter and summer holidays, they’d reunite to write music and play shows.

Their enduring friendship paid off—since Waking’s release, their music has cycled on Canadian radio stations, and they’ve played sold out shows with Hollerado, The Fast Romantics, and fellow Lindsay band The Strumbellas. Last year, The Kents released their second EP, Within Waves, and their music has since reached over one million Spotify streams.

Within Waves’ success is no surprise.

Its sincerity, swelling vocals and melodic guitar licks showcase the band’s ever-evolving musical style.

Although their music sounds seamless, Frank said the songwriting process itself isn’t so straightforward. It can take anywhere from one night to six months or even more just to write a rough draft of a piece. For instance, the band wrote the song “Low Light” from the Within Waves EP in a single night in a cabin in Quebec.

“It’s an unpredictable process.

Sometimes it’s just about stumbling upon the right place, time and mood,” Frank said.

While it may seem an exercise in patience taking half a year to write a meaningful song, Frank says it’s worth the wait. His time as a songwriter and musician has taught him the value of writing meaningful music, regardless of how long that process takes.

“The best thing you can do is be honest with what you write”, he said.

“Don’t worry about how it’s going to be perceived. When you write about what you’re passionate about and what you need to process, the audience can feel that—you connect with them more.”

Arts

Friday, November 16, 2018

queensjournal.ca

•9

EVENT

Writers weave path as wordsmiths in panel Authors detail professional development, creative process Claudia Rupnik Staff Writer There’s no direct path to becoming a writer and no clear definition of what that occupation entails.

However, on Friday, four published authors discussed the subject in Watson Hall on behalf of the Department of English Language and Literature at Queen’s.

The Dream Weavers panel tried to offer an answer, while featuring some of the most promising authors in Canadian Literature—Catherine Hernandez, Kai Cheng Thom, Casey Plett, and Canisia Lubrin.

Hernandez moderated the discussion, which explored the panelists’ personal dreams, ancestry, writing processes, and predictions for the future of Canadian Literature.

Hernandez is the 2018 Writer in Residence at Queen’s, and author of the Queen’s Reads Choice for 2018-19, Scarborough.

The panelists gave personal advice to the room of students in the early stages of their own literary adventures. Thom stressed a significant part of becoming a writer is simply accepting that one’s own voice matters.

Thom, a poet, fiction-writer, and essayist, grounded a piece of writing’s worth in its readers.

“It takes a lot to say that your work is worthy, and it’s good enough, even if just your friends read it,” said Thom, whose works include novel Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir, children’s book From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea, and poetry collection A Place Called No Homeland.

Plett added each writer has to be their own greatest supporter because their work will inevitably be critiqued, sharing her negative experience with a mentor who suggested her work wasn’t productive.

Plett won the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction in recognition of her debut short story collection A Safe Girl to Love. She

published her first novel, Little Fish, earlier this year.

The panelists emphasized the difficulty doesn’t lay in the decision to start writing, but persisting in the face of rejection.

Speaking from personal experience, Lubrin stressed rejection is common, and presented writing as a game of perseverance.

Lubrin published her first collection of poetry, Voodoo Hypothesis, in 2017. Her work has also been published in a variety of literary journals.

“A lot of people have talent, but not everyone has the endurance [to succeed],” Lubrin said.

The panel agreed Canadian literature is a small scene, where few have a fair shot at getting their work published because of industry-wide nepotism.

They encouraged the audience’s aspiring writers to work as often as possible to increase the likelihood of having their pieces published.

For those interested in improving the quality of their writing, the panel had clear instructions: be present, notice, and observe.

“The thing that you’re trying to create is of this world, so be present in this world. Take things in, walk away, and write about it,” Lubrin said. The panel joked this is the reason why everyone hates writers.

The authors described the writing process as intensely personal, with Lubrin offering her own as an example. When writing, she drafts by hand and then takes a break to do something completely different—like pruning her house plants—while mentally sifting through the work. She usually writes between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

The Dream Weavers panel was a critical discussion about the reality of being an author in Canadian literature, and a must-see event for any aspiring writer at Queen’s.

“I don’t sleep, my writing world is tough,” Lubrin said. “Not everyone would survive it.”

Panelists Canisia Lubrin (left) and Catherine Hernandez (right).

PHOTO BY CLAUDIA RUPNIK

The Judge and Jury set at the Brooklyn.

PHOTO BY CLAUDIA RUPNIK

REVIEW

Judge and Jury ends sentence at Brooklyn Interactive improv show concludes run Claudia Rupnik Staff Writer In Judge and Jury, the higest court in the land was far from sober.

This was on display when Living in Technicolour presented the final installment of their infamous Judge and Jury production at the Brooklyn on Saturday evening.

Judge and Jury: Shooting Star is an interactive improv show that uses the audience’s input to shape the narrative in live action. It’s not traditional, highbrow theatre—the cast has the lone goal of making the audience laugh.

The plot centered around the investigation of the fatal shooting of two judges on a televised national singing competition. The nine characters—a diverse collection of contestants and crew from the competition—were on trial for the crime.

All of the defendants had the means, motive and access to commit the crime.

As a result, they had to prove their innocence to the audience, who was responsible for sorting through the narrative to find the guilty party.

However, Judge and Jury isn’t your typical impartial court of law. Rather, the interactive production encouraged the jury to heckle the defendants as much as possible.

The show was performed in rounds that consisted of three segments each—a period of improv, a question and answer session, and a final vote.

The improv periods revealed the storyline to viewers through heated discussions between defendants trying to prove their innocence. This segment was followed by an interview where the audience was able to ask characters about the information they presented.

The final portion of each round was the vote. Audience members voted characters out of the story based on their perceived innocence. The vote was criticaltotheevolutionofthestorylinebecause once a character was deemed innocent, they were free to walk away from the trial.

Through the process of elimination, the character believed to be guilty was left on stage at the end of the performance to face execution, even if they didn`t commit the crime.

The system of voting operated through the use of QR codes.

Upon entering the venue, each audience member was given a card printed with a code they had to hold up during voting periods in order to participate.

The tech crew m ove d a ro u n d the ro o m with a smartphone to scan the cards, allowing an app to calculate which character was deemed innocent in that round.

Although audience interaction was the essence of the show, the voting process became increasingly tedious as the rounds progressed and the initial excitement

All of the defendants had the means, motive and access to commit the crime.

As a result, they had to prove their innocence.

wore off.

Judge and Jury succeeds because the show is never the same twice. The crew designates a different character as the guilty party during each presentation, and the audience involvement completely influences the direction of the plot.

As such, the audience participation has a strong influence on the level of c o m e dy a c h i eve d by the production.

While the cast was talented, the characters were not fully developed and they had limited subject matter to work with.

Some elements of comedy were repeated too much throughout the show, losing their comedic effect. It’s funny the first and second time someone has water thrown in their face, but eventually it becomes a lazy means of generating laughs.

The cast thrived by developing a rapport with the highly engaged crowd, as they were able to incorporate commentary into their dialogue.

Saturday evening was the final presentation of the production’s third season, and the evidence speaks for itself. Judge and Jury is a highly entertaining commentary on the court of public opinion.

Arts

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

Arts in Brief: BFA Print Sale returns This brief originally appeared online on Nov. 12.

Queen’s Varsity Improv team on stage at the Clark Hall.

Michelle Butterchew Contributor A clown, a horse girl, and Facebook meme poster David Vassos walk into a party.

It’s the unlikely beginning of Queen’s Varsity Improv’s latest show, which held its first of four performances of the year at Clark Hall on Tuesday night.

Wet Hot Canadian Improv—a nod to cult-classic Wet Hot American Summer featured a 13 members cast ranging from first-years to PhD students.

Nothing is too niche or taboo for the Qvitters, who explored everything from the birth of Jewish rock music to God’s sweet sixteen birthday party.

In one skit, three women tried to hide their true identity while in a male prison. In another, the entire cast disclosed exactly what sex with them entails, and how it’s comparable to cream cheese left out for a day.

An audience favourite was this year’s new cast members’ initiation into the team, where they were blindfolded on a stage

REVIEW

Queen’s Varsity Improv is no joke Wet Hot Canadian Improv show starts run at Clark Hall set with active mousetraps.

“To all the haters out there, now you know: improv’s the real deal,” castmember Liam Casey told the audience after cutting himself on a mousetrap while performing burpees.

The troupe similarly encouraged the crowd to shout cues during the scenes, including relationships, objects, and locations. One new game, T i n d e r, a l l o we d the audience to shout out and indicate whether to swipe left or right on different dating personalities the actors portrayed.

The troupe even invited some

audience members on stage, showcasing the cast’s skill as they integrated the crowd into scenes.

One audience member walked back to his seat joking, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done.”

While the performance is entirely unscripted, preparation is essential to the show. The cast meets twice a week to play improv games, give feedback, and hone their skills, on top of attending competitions in Montreal. The show structure and game designs are well-defined beforehand, yet the event still felt casual and spontaneous.

Dedicated fans may have

PHOTO BY MICHELLE BUTTERCHEW

noticed the team’s unusual mascot—a framed photo of actor Steve Buscemi. Alumni and former captain Blair MacMillan left behind the prized possession as a gift to the team when she graduated last year.

Overall, you’d be hard pressed to find a group of more versatile performers, seeing as they change character with every new scene.

The actors frequently defaulted to their own names, even when transitioning into characters completely unlike themselves.

For one, performer Paul Smith was unrecognizable when he played a memorable personality—a man so old that neither music nor male genitalia existed in his childhood.

There’s no disputing the technical skill and comedic timing of the actors. However, the show’s obvious strength was the energy and companionship between cast members, and the audience of friends, family, and lovers of improv there to support them.

Made up on the spot or not, that aspect of the performance stays with its audience.

The Queen’s community can support student artists when the annual BFA print sale kicks off this week at the ARC. Running 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., student artists will sell original, hand-pulled prints of their work from Nov. 12 to 14.

Event organizer and fine arts lecturer Alejandro Arauz has run the sale and assisted artists for the past six years.

Arauz told The Journal the event’s an opportunity for students to learn how to publicly share their art and build experience selling their work. To help, students are required to evaluate their work’s worth by assigning price points.

Arauz wants his students to keep multiple copies in mind when producing their work.

Unlike other mediums, prints are meant to be reproduced, and for Arauz this has an impact on their meaning.

While a great learning opportunity for fine arts students, the event is also a chance to collect original work by fellow Queen’s students, who receive 100 per cent of the proceeds.

—Brigid Goulem, Arts Editor

Friday, November 16, 2017

queensjournal.ca

Sports

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO

Tanner (left) and Jesse (right) Graham have played for the Gaels for five seasons.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Jack Rabb Staff Writer Teammates are used to people confusing them for siblings—but for Kingston locals and Gaels forwards Jesse and Tanner Graham, the assumption isn’t unfounded. Now in their fifth year as teammates at Queen’s, the towering duo wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re best friends … not many people can say that with as much confidence as me and Tanner can,” Jesse, two years his brother’s senior, told The Journal. “Even though we’re very different, we’re very similar.”

Despite the age difference, the two brothers dominated Kingston’s high-school circuit together at La Salle Secondary School and joined the Gaels at the same time in 2014-15. Jesse is listed at 6’6”, while Tanner stands at 6’7”. Together, they cast an imposing shadow in any frontcourt.

While Tanner found success more quickly than Jesse—the former earned All-Rookie honours in his first season—the Grahams have carved out their own niches since they joined Queen’s. Jesse has become hyper efficient in the paint for the Gaels and currently leads the OUA in field goal percentage (70.6 per cent), while Tanner has grown into a

‘Bound for nationals’ Continued from front

By halftime, the Gaels led by a score of 31-0. The half time break served the Gryphons well, allowing them to score two tries in the first fifteen minutes of the second frame. The Gaels’ defense didn’t waver and tacked on 17 more points in the second half to win by a margin of 38 points.

“We defended heroically in a lot of [those] situations, got the ball back, and put a massive amount of pressure

PHOTO BY AUDRIC PATRICK

• 11

reliable scorer, premier rebounder, and shot-blocker. Last season, he was second in OUA in rebounds per game (10.4) and first in blocks (3.2).

The degree to which basketball is a family affair for the Grahams extends well past the brothers.

Their mother, Karen, played on the Canadian National team and used to coach Jesse and Tanner at La Salle; their sisters, Evelyn and Gilene, have both played basketball. Their older brother Dale even works the clock at Gaels games.

Basketball and family may as well be synonymous when it comes to the Graham household—it makes sense how naturally their decision to sign with Queen’s came.

“Me and Jesse were only being heavily recruited by Queen’s and [McMaster], so that’s [what] the decision came

down to,” Tanner said. “We went to a basketball game to watch them play each other, and it was actually Mac who invited us to the game [in Kingston].”

That game was when they realized where they wanted to play collegiate basketball.

“At this point Queen’s hadn’t made a formal pitch,” Jesse said.

“And while we were watching the game, we realized that we were cheering for Queen’s while Mac was recruiting us.”

“That was a pretty good indicator that we both wanted to come to Queen’s.”

The Graham brothers joined Queen’s when the men’s basketball program was just getting over their reputation as an OUA basement-dweller. Two years before, the team had gone 2-20.

In the last week of October this year, the Gaels were nationally-ranked (10) for the

first time in over a decade. While this might raise expectations for the team, the Grahams think otherwise.

“A top 10 ranking is great, but we have bigger aspirations,” Jesse said of the current Gaels team.

Tanner concurred, adding, “[The ranking] didn’t change things at all. We still want to make it to the OUA Final Four, we still want to get to Nationals.”

In their final year in high school, the duo put together a deep run at OFSAA, ultimately losing in the quarterfinal. But in their senior year at Queen’s, the brothers aren’t feeling pressure to make a deep run with the Gaels—and any pressure they do feel is entirely self-motivated.

“For myself,” Jesse said, “I wouldn’t want to look back and think, ‘I didn’t do it.’”

The OUA is the best conference

for men’s basketball in U Sports, and this year is no different.

The Gaels are up against stiff competition, and according to Tanner, they’re going to have to push each other and their teammates if they want to succeed.

“Growing up, it was very competitive … Jesse was bigger than me, more athletic,” Tanner said. “But eventually we became more equal, and then we got more encouraging [towards each other].”

“We’ve always pushed each other, since before I could even remember” Jesse added.

“But being in fifth year, it’s funny … When you go to an opposing gym, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s the last time I get to play here.’ It adds a different layer.

There’s always that idea that you’d get to come back, but now there’s some finality to it.”

No matter how the season ends, the Grahams won’t be sour.

“The friendships and experiences I’ve had are what I’ll cherish most. I hope my teammates will remember me as a friend and someone who always had their back,” Jesse said about his time with the program.

“For fans and supporters, I hope people will remember me as a person of high character, a good leader, a competitor, and a guy with some pretty good footwork in the post.”

back on Guelph,” Butcher said of his team’s second-half performance. “I thought it was an incredible performance.”

The Gaels’ worst defensive showing this

average, the team suffered but 10 points per match while scoring 69.

For their efforts this season, five Gaels were awarded OUA all-star status—Patrick Lynott, Lachlan Devir, Nicholas De Lallo, Brendan Blaikie, and Tristan Ruse.

Alongside the all-stars, Alex Pipchuk was awarded the Trillium Award—given to a well-rounded player who demonstrated athleticism, strong work ethic, and good sportsmanship throughout the season. Pipchuk led the team’s fundraising for their annual CIBC Run for the Cure, where they raised $30,000—more than any other Queen’s varsity team this year.

To round out Queen’s recognition in the OUA, Butcher was also named OUA Coach of

the Year, his first of his two-year career with the team. The Gaels are yet to lose a match since the Head Coach’s appointment in the summer of 2017.

“It’s really special when you get recognized by people that you respect,” Butcher said of receiving the award.

As much as it is an individual accomplishment, Butcher said the award is indicative of his team’s strength, not just his own.

“I wouldn’t get any awards if the team [wasn’t] doing well,” Butcher said. “For me, it’s a complete ratification of how well the boys have done this year.”

Up next, the Gaels will be travelling to Victoria, B.C. to compete in the second annual Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championships from Nov. 21 to 25.

Last year, the Gaels missed

the inaugural championships, hosted by Guelph. Butcher said the tournament was held too close to the OUA final, and the team wasn’t physically prepared for rigorous play.

This year, however, the team will have two whole weeks to recover from the OUA playoffs.

At the championships, the Gaels will encounter entirely unfamiliar teams. Butcher noted west-coast teams will be especially competitive. Last season, the University of British Columbia won the national championship.

“We know what the other teams in the OUA have got, and we’ve played against them a number of times, so to play teams that we’ve never seen, never played before—I think it’s really exciting,” Butcher said.

One last shot for the Graham brothers

Tanner and Jesse Graham discuss brotherhood and basketball ahead of final seasons with Gaels

season came in early September during a 55-22 win against the Laurier Golden Hawks—it was the only time they conceded 20 or more points. On

12 •queensjournal.ca

Sports

Friday, November 16, 2017

VARSITY ATHLETICS

Season grades for fall varsity teams The Journal’s sports editors evaluate how Queen’s teams fared in their 2018-19 campaigns Matt Scace and Maggie Gowland Sports Editors Grading fall performances for Queen’s varsity teams followed months of close evaluation.

We considered each individual team’s pre-season expectations and whether they followed through on them. It’s a highly subjective, unscientific process that’s based off the backbreaking losses, hair-raising wins and shocking athletic plays that happened throughout the season.

Women’s cross country: A Key results: OUA champions, U Sports Silver, Brogan MacDougall—OUA and U Sports champion

Until the U Sports Championship last weekend, nearly everything had gone right for the women’s cross country team.

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE Brogan MacDougall.

With the loss of Claire Sumner over the summer due to graduation, rookie Brogan MacDougall filled a void in the team by winning all four of her races, including the OUA and U Sports championships.

Meanwhile, the team’s back-half runners—including first-time cross country runner Makenna Fitzgerald—displayed maturity on the season’s biggest stages. Although the women fell seven points short of winning the U Sports championships, they proved they have a foundation in place for future success.

Women’s rugby: B+ Key results: OUA silver, sixth-place finish at U Sports championships

Men’s rugby: A+ Key results: OUA champions, five OUA all-star selections, coach of the year

When it comes to picking the best team at Queen’s, men’s rugby can’t be beat—literally.

The Gaels’ perfect 10-0 record this season justifies our perfect A+ grade. With their sixth OUA title in seven years, Queen’s hasn’t lost a game in over two years and currently ride a 20-game win streak. This season, the team won by an average margin of 59 points—scoring, on average, 69 JOURNAL FILE PHOTO points and conceding just 10 per Lachlan Devir. match. Defensively, they never allowed more than 22 points in a single match.

Alongside their impressive stats, five Gaels were awarded All-Star honours, with Alex Pipchuk winning the Trillium Award, and second-year Head Coach Dave Butcher receiving the OUA Coach of the Year distinction.

Rowing: A

Key results: 11 OUA medals, seven CURC medals

Showing steady improvement over last season, the women’s team finished silver and the men bronze at this year’s OUA championships.

Overall, the Gaels brought home 11 medals at the championship regatta—nine gold and two silver. At the national championships, the rowers picked up seven in their individual events, four of which were gold.

JOURNAL FILE PHOTO Notably, fourth-year Gavin Michael Bryenton and Gavin Stone.

Stone—who was named the OUA Male Athlete of the Year after his double OUA gold—won the men’s 1x final at nationals.

Paired with Stone’s recognition were Coaches Rami Maassarani and Michael Davidson, who received OUA Coaches of the Year honours.

After finishing their season with a 3-1 record and a loss in the OUA finals, the women’s rugby team competed in three matches at the U Sports PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO Pippi MacKay. championships in Wolfville, N.S, where they finished sixth in the country. Now finishing their second campaign with Dan Valley as head coach, Men’s cross country: B+ Queen’s is settling into one of the top programs in Canada.

Key results: Lehigh Invitational Along with their appearance on the national stage, the Gaels’ roster received massive champions, OUA silver, fifth at recognition for their efforts this season. Second-year Sophie de Goede, who won U Sports U Sports championships Rookie of the Year last year, was named the U Sports Player of the Year—the first Gael to ever receive the title. She was also named a First Team All-Canadian with teammate and While the men’s team second-year Rachel Hickson. ultimately maintained their fifth-place position at the U Sports championships—precisely where Women’s soccer: B they finished last year—there Key results: Second in OUA East, was a different sense about their Jenny Wolever—OUA East MVP 2018-19 iteration. With a healthy Mitch De Lange leading the PHOTO BY MATT SCACE It was a season of ups and charge, the men raced to second Mitch De Lange. downs for the women’s soccer place at the OUA championships, team. Powered by the electric beating out the reigning U Sports champion Guelph Gryphons in the process. Looking fourth-year and OUA East MVP determined to make a podium run at nationals, the Gaels were hit by a small handful of Jenny Wolever’s conference late-season injuries which slightly derailed their hopes to a medal on the national stage. second-best 13 goals, the Gaels But with a strong handful of young talent carrying into next season, the Gaels will have the walked their way to another OUA opportunity to use this year to their advantage in 2019-20.

PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO Jenny Wolever.

Final Four.

Failing to improve on last season’s bronze medal finish, they lost both of their final games, Football: Cnarrowly missing a national championship berth. Finding offensive power Key Results: Eighth in the OUA was sometimes a struggle for the team—they scored just four goals in their final six games.

It was a confusing season for the football team. In a league experiencing unparalleled levels Men’s soccer: Bof parity, more than once the Gaels proved they could trade Key results: Fourth in OUA East, punches with Canada’s best. first-round playoff loss Losing 26-23 to Western, the The men’s soccer team made a eventual Yates Cup champions, surprise rebound this season, and dumping Guelph, last finishing with a 9-6-1 record weekend’s Yates Cup finalists after going 6-8-3 last year. Placing in overtime, there was never a fourth in the OUA, nine points doubt that Queen’s were a playoff ahead of the Nipissing Lakers, team. Yet, they were unable PHOTO BY CHRIS YAO their season-long buildup came to pull through on numerous Queen’s football team. crashing down when they fell to occasions. Losing their final the Lakers in the first round of the three games by an average margin of 3.6 points, the Gaels failed to rise in the big moments playoffs—the third straight this season. As a consequence, they missed the playoffs altogether and will face significant season they’ve lost the challenges next season with a number of key players on their way out.

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE Nicholas Theodorakakis. postseason’s opening match.

Friday, November 16, 2017

Sports

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• 13

CROSS-COUNTRY

Gaels stumble short of podium at home Women’s team seven points short of first U Sports gold medal in program history, men place fifth Matt Scace Sports Editor For the first time since 2009, Queen’s hosted the U Sports Cross Country Championships on Saturday. While the women’s team stumbled in their pursuit of a championship banner, the men finished fifth overall.

Women’s cross country falls short of expectations

Beaming smiles turned to tears at the finish line for the women’s cross country team on Saturday afternoon at the U Sports National Championships—they’d come in seven points behind the Laval Rouge et Or. The Quebec team erupted into a chant as the Gaels’ gold-medal hopes fell.

“We faltered on a number of fronts there, so we deserved to lose in the end,” Gaels Head Coach Steve Boyd said of the race.

Things hadn’t gone according to plan.

The top-ranked U Sports team’s gold medal expectations were lost in the 70 km/h winds at the Fort Henry Hills.

Dominating the field of 155 female runners, Queen’s rookie Brogan MacDougall won the eight-kilometer race by 12 seconds.

In her first four races for Queen’s, she decisively won four gold medals. With her win on Saturday, she was named U Sports cross country Athlete of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

“We’re not surprised at all—she had more in the tank as well,” Boyd said. “We’re excited about it—we came for that but we came for the team title more.”

Despite Brogan’s win, Queen’s back half failed to secure their first national banner in program history. Brogan’s sister, third-year Branna MacDougall, finished in ninth after finishing second at both last year’s U Sports championships and this season’s OUA championship.

Coming off an injury that derailed her training since the spring, Branna finished under a minute behind Brogan.

Boyd expected Branna to finish in the top three or five.

Meanwhile, first-years Makenna Fitzgerald and Laura Yantha finished in 13th and 24th place, while fifth-year Taylor Sills came 15th. Cumulatively, the Gaels combined for 62 points, short of eventual champion Laval’s 55—the Rouge D’or landed four athletes in the top 10.

“We were a little concerned early on when Makenna and Taylor were not in the top ten,” Boyd said. “That kind of set the tone for the day.”

The championships marked the official end of women’s season, which saw breakout performances from a large class of rookies and a group that was ranked first in Canada for the entire year. The majority of the team’s runners will return for the 2019-20 season.

Sills will be the only athlete departing from their core five.

Fort Henry will be the U Sports championship course again next year.

The Gaels will get another crack at a championship on home soil next season as they set their sights on gold once again.

Unforgiving weather on home course

On one of Kingston’s highest elevated points, wind played a significant factor in Saturday’s race—gusts reached around 70 km/h at their peak and averaged 40 km/h, coupled by temperatures hovering barely above zero.

It only added to the demanding nature of Fort Henry’s hills, which roll around a two-kilometre loop and net around

30 metres of incline within the first 600 metres. “[The wind] creates a lot of uncertainty in terms of how the pack splits up and how the race unfolds,” Boyd said of the race’s conditions.

Second-year Brett Crowley admitted it was difficult to project how the runners’ legs and breathing would feel. The majority of their races this season were run in temperate or hot conditions contrasting the wind on Saturday—their legs took longer to warm up and their lungs would need time to process the cold air.

“I think it was just kind of a crazy day out there with the wind,” Crowley said. “It’s a little harder to predict how you’re going to run, but I think everyone gave as much of a solid effort as you could give.”

Men’s cross country keeps par for the course

Rookie Brogan Macdougall won the U Sports championships.

Despite a surprise silver-medal finish at the OUA championships over two weeks ago, the men’s team placed fifth on Saturday.

It matched their fifth-place finish at the U Sports championships last season.

“Same as last year: good result but with a better team,” Boyd said. Earlier in the week, Boyd said placing fifth was a possibility, but he was optimistic his team could land on the podium.

Second-year Mitch De Lange led Queen’s in 12th, maintaining a strong position in the top pack of runners until the final quarter of the 10-kilometre race. He was followed by fellow second-year Matt Flood in 26th place, while Mitch Kirby, Ruben Sansom, PHOTO BY MATT SCACE and Crowley finished in 31st, 34th, and Brogan Macdougall.

Second-year Matt Flood.

46th, respectively.

Boyd maintained his belief that the Gaels are better than where they placed Saturday.

“I don’t think we’re the fifth-best team, I think we’re the third best team,” he said, acknowledging the unpredictability of race days—especially amidst a 160man field of runners. “This is why you run the races.”

Numerous Gaels athletes suffered late-season injuries—captain Rob Kanko, who finished in 48th, suffered from an iron deficiency for the majority of the season while Crowley spent the latter stages of the year with an unspecified injury. Boyd lauded Flood’s 26th place finish, but said it wasn’t how he drew up the finishes for any of his runners.

“There should’ve been two or three guys in front of [Flood] that put us where Mitch De Lange (right) finished 12th overall. we should’ve been,” Boyd said. “They never really got on track.”

Crowley and Kanko spent the entire race working together, pacing through the hills stride for stride. Crowley said the two had planned the race to their fitness levels, and ended how they predicted.

“We were quite a ways back but the game plan was to start out a bit slower and pick guys off as we went and that’s exactly how it went,” Crowley said.

Regardless of Saturday’s finish, it was a season of progress for the men’s team.

Their OUA silver medal was their best finish since 1989. It’ll be something to build on for the team, who will, like the women, have a number of their runners returning next season.

Crowley reflected back on the season fondly, and is excited at the prospect of what the team can achieve in 2019-20.

“It’s been a pleasure to work out and do easy runs and race alongside these guys this year. I couldn’t ask for a better season overall,” he said.

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE

PHOTO BY MATT SCACE

14 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

SOCIAL MEDIA

The poster who became a meme: a week-long saga

Lifestyle

How a third-year student channeled his Overheard experiences into absurdist theatre Ally Mastantuono Assistant Lifestyle Editor Over the past week, David Vassos, ArtSci ’20, has garnered campus-wide attention for posting a series of memes in Overheard at Queen’s, a Facebook group with over 30,000 members.

Although the posts ultimately led to his removal from the group, Vassos used the attention to stage an absurdist play on Wednesday to honour the ordeal.

Vassos rose to social media fame for his memes about Tilt, a once-popular crowdfunding app that found a home at Queen’s until it was purchased by Airbnb in 2017. Despite the app’s scrapping, it continues to haunt campus as a chalk advertisement near Mac-Corry Hall that reads: “Tilt CEO Talk [at] Dunning Aud Wed [sic] 5:30 PM.” The long-standing

A live band performing at Vassos’ play.

mystique of this mysterious advertisement intrigued Vassos, inspiring him to create and share his first Tilt-related post in the Overheard group on Nov. 6.

“The purpose of [the meme] was to poke fun at our campus advertising initiatives from different applications,” Vassos, told The Journal. “I found [the chalk advertisement] to be something funny. Why is this [app] that nobody’s talking about still part of Queen’s?”

Vassos continued to make various posts in the group on the subject over the next 24 hours.

What began as a joke about Tilt became a test to see how long the bit could last.

The situation came to a head on Nov. 9, when Vassos posted three of his memes to Overheard in rapid succession.

While this decision earned him the praise of other members,

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

STUDENT LIFE

who began making lighthearted memes about Vassos himself, he was also banned from the Facebook group.

Since his frequent posting violated Overheard’s anti-spam rules, Vassos believed the administrator’s decision to PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON ban him was valid. His online Vassos in character as the fictional CEO of Tilt. admirers, however, felt differently.

Supporters were quick to create as “a unique opportunity to do Vassos considered his joke’s over 20 memes about the injustice something new and different.” grand finale. of his banning—all within 24 Along with his second banning His performance—which hours—while others took to the came the creation of a Facebook took place on Dunning’s group to plead for his return. event, set to occur Wednesday, outdoor staircase—featured an An Overheard administrator Nov. 14, in front of Dunning eight-piece band, a narrator, took notice of the backlash and Hall at 5:30 p.m.—the same supporting characters, and Vassos reinstated Vassos as a member place and time featured in the playing the titular role of Tiltus, of the group. But his return infamous Tilt advertisement near Tilt’s imaginary CEO. to Overheard was short-lived, Mac-Corry Hall.

Although the show lasted as he was removed again on Initially pitched as a rally for a total of five minutes, the the Nov. 10.

David, the event coordinators engaged audience cheered, “I ended up unblocking him,” rebranded the event as a live booed, and sang along, an Overheard administrator who theatre piece about the fictitious laughing as Vassos and his wished to remain anonymous CEO of Tilt titled The Rise and companions fled as soon as their told The Journal, “but the same Fall of Tiltus Zuckerbezoz. Within skit was over. [administrator] blocked him again. days, hundreds of students said As Vassos prepared to move on I just stayed out of it after that.” they were attending the event from what he calls “The Tilt Saga,” The Facebook drama, put into on Facebook, with even more he mused on the lessons he’ll take motion by his memes, took Vassos marking they were interested. away from his experience as a by surprise and intrigued him as “I don’t think I’ve had this memer-turned-meme-turned artist. an artist. much attention on myself or “I can post dumb memes “It has been fascinating to see my art ever,” said Vassos two on a Facebook group and then, where people have taken [the days prior to the event. “I have because of that, people will show situation],” he said. “But I feel like it a YouTube channel where I post up to watch a short absurdist is time for the bit to die.” my films … I’m a filmmaker so I theatre piece that I put on a week Instead of wallowing over want people to see my work. This late and start thinking about me,” his virtual exile, Vassos saw feels bigger than anything else Vassos said. the spotlight placed upon him I’ve done.”

“There’s no limit to how far The event ultimately drew things can go, I guess.” a crowd of 60-75 people, who waited patiently outside of —With files from Dunning Hall to witness what Josh Granovsky

Reducing your carbon footprint at Queen’s Suggestions on how you can help save our planet Geneviève Nolet Contributor Organizations on campus have taken the initiative to promote more environmentally sustainable habits in recent years.

Queen’s has adopted a paperless approach to most of its official communications, and its Sustainability Office has ran events to promote healthy environmental practices and placed organic receptacles throughout campus. The common goal for these efforts is to reduce our school’s carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual or institution’s activities, expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). For instance, The Tea Room on campus is now a carbon neutral and zero consumer waste establishment, since all the CO2 emissions

associated to its functioning are counterbalanced by planting trees throughout the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

The greater one’s carbon footprint is, the greater the impact of greenhouse gases.

These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming.

Though radical changes still need to be made on a global scale to combat climate change, it’s important to consider your personal impact on the environment and to choose sustainable activities as alternatives whenever possible. If everyone were to make environmentally conscious changes to their lives, it’d limit global warming.

That said, it’s possible for students to favor more sustainable activities over environmentally harmful ones to reduce their own carbon footprint. Here are

some simple ways you can alter your lifestyle to lessen your contribution to greenhouse gases.

Transportation A study from Lund University and the University of British Columbia found a single individual going carless for a year could spare approximately 2.4 tons of CO2.

When possible, opt for walking or biking, and make use of your student card for free public transportation—especially when travelling longer distances. If these options aren’t ideal, try to carpool or pick vehicles with lower emissions.

Home energy

Instead of cranking the heat during chilly winter days, consider wearing warmer layers—ideally wool and eco-friendly materials rather

Avoiding cars cuts down your carbon footprint.

than synthetics. Unplugging devices when not using them, turning off the lights when leaving a room, and line-drying clothes will all help you maintain sustainable habits and benefit your utilities bill.

Be sure to also turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, take colder and shorter showers—which research shows may also have some positive health benefits—and always try to reuse and recycle.

Food

Buy local organic produce at

PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON

one of Kingston’s several farmer’s markets, and limit or reduce your meat and dairy consumption since they have a much greater environmental impact than plant-based food. In this case, adopting a vegan diet is optimal.

In the summer, planting a vegetable garden is a great way to help reduce your carbon footprint, and encourage eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Finally, using reusable bags when shopping, taking home leftovers from the restaurant and composting food waste can further help reduce your carbon footprint.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, November 16, 2018

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STUDENT LIFE

The struggles of talking mental health with older generations Disclosing my mental illnesses to my parents was difficult and necessary Dana spoke to her parents about mental illness 11 years after her first panic attack.

Dana Meilach Contributor Our parents are normally the ones to notice many of our firsts in life. However, our first panic attack, depressive episode, or sign of mental illness is often neglected.

Most of our parents didn’t grow up with the same knowledge and understanding of mental illness the current generation has.

My parents clearly didn’t, as evidenced when they referred to my anxiety as “getting excited,” or being “agitated.”

The first panic attack I remember having was at the age of seven, triggered by a story from the Old Testament.

However, my parents didn’t see my reaction as anything unusual.

Their response is nothing against them—they simply didn’t recognize my symptoms of mental illness.

But the language they used to describe my symptoms diminished the science behind my body’s physiological response to panic attacks.

Some parents—those often working in fields that have backgrounds in mental health—are able to pick up on their child’s mental illness at a young age due to their knowledge of its different signs and symptoms. But for most baby boomer or early Gen X parents, mental illness education was limited and stigmatized.

In my first year at Queen’s, I was forced to finally come to terms with my poor mental health.

It stopped being an occasional distraction and started controlling my everyday actions.

I wasn’t the one to start the dialogue about mental illness with my parents—my friend was. She called them while I was hysterically crying about my upcoming exams. It was the first

GRAPHIC BY NOUR MAZLOUM

time they realized my anxiety was more than “excitement.”

Finally, we began a dialogue about mental illness, 11 years after my first panic attack.

My mental illness was impacting my academics and personal relationships. Although my friends had provided a great support system, I needed my family and doctor’s support to address my ongoing symptoms.

I wish I could say with more support I overcame my intrusive, anxious thoughts. But that’s not how mental illness works. Instead, I began a three-year rollercoaster trying to explain the mechanisms my body and mind were going through to my parents.

It took six months and several conversations for them to realize medication was necessary. I asked my doctor to explain anxiety from a medical perspective to my mother, and he drew analogies to other, more common illnesses—in my case, chemical imbalances and

LIFE HACKS

serotonin deficiencies.

I let someone else explain my anxiety because it was too difficult to verbalize myself. This doesn’t make me weak—it just means I used the support system I created for myself. I consider this moment a huge turning point with my mother and my anxiety. She finally understood anxiety was an illness, one resulting from a lack of specific chemicals in the brain.

Honest conversations with parents are hard. We never want to disappoint them, and that’s a big reason why I internalized my struggles. I didn’t want mental illness to make me seem like less of a perfect daughter.

I didn’t want mental illness to make me seem like less of a perfect daughter.

I also didn’t want them to think any of this was their fault.

My parents provided me with a beautiful life filled with joy and love. I initially felt like my depression and anxiety made it seem like I wasn’t grateful

for all they did for me, or that I was implying they had done something wrong.

As much as my friends and doctor have opened a dialogue with them, I’ve had to bring the conversation about mental health into reality. Due to two recent suicides in my religious community, I’ve had very honest talks with my parents about mental illness. My dad mentioned he’d reached out to check on his friend’s mental health; my mom talked about possibly volunteering at a suicide hotline.

My parents don’t empathize with my experiences—they can’t because they’ve never had a panic attack or a depressive episode.

But they sympathize and make an effort to learn and help me where they can. That’s all the support I’ve ever wanted from them, and I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made together.

Our generation has immense knowledge about the realities of mental illness. It’s time to educate the generations before us.

How to style your Movember ‘stache Tips on making the best of No Shave November

Charlie Harris Contributor People across the world are growing out their mustaches in support of No Shave November and the Movember foundation, which helps to raise awareness for men’s health issues.

In the Queen’s community, mustaches during this period are common. We see some good ones—but we also see some that don’t reach their full potential before they’re shaved off in December.

If you’re looking to improve your moustache game, here are some tips. ***

If you want to have a solid mustache by the end of November next time, you may want to start growing one before Nov. 1. An extra week of growth

work, and you don’t want it to look sloppy. Trim it with scissors and a comb to avoid chunkiness

If you choose to curl your mustache, be prepared for constant daily adjustments and touch-ups.

Movember raises awareness for men’s physical and mental health issues.

will yield a better end result, and may save you from embarrassment during the month’s early days.

I usually have a beard year-round because it allows me to avoid shaving. Since I already had one in my beard, when Nov. 1 rolled around, I

didn’t wait through the tedious early days for a mustache to fill out.

If you’re struggling to find your mustache when looking for it in the mirror, there’s not much you can do but wait for it to grow. Remember to be patient and never give up.

GRAPHIC BY NOUR MAZLOUM

If you have a long moustache, I recommend brushing it to either side and creating a part in the middle. You also have the option of curling the ends of it.

If you choose to curl your mustache, be prepared for constant daily adjustments and touch-ups. Mustaches are hard

in certain areas.

November is a cold month, and having a good mustache will ensure that your upper lip stays warm. Your new facial hair will provide warmth for the whole face and allow you to continue growing a beard to deal with the harsh winter conditions of December, January, and beyond.

Nobody will seriously judge your moustache this month because it supports a good cause. Take advantage of it and test your mustache growing skills.

LIFESTYLE

16 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, November 16, 2018

POSTSCRIPT

Standing strong in the face of antisemitism Learning from discriminatory experiences at Queen’s and in Kingston Josh Granovsky Lifestyle Editor I can’t remember a time where I was unaware people in the world would harm me solely because I was Jewish.

That statement may sound extreme.

But in the aftermath of the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, where the shooter yelled, “All Jews must die” before taking 11 lives, this notion is tragically plausible.

Sometimes, anti-Semitism in my life is subliminal.

It’s an underlying truth I shelve so I can get groceries without fearing for my safety.

Other times, it’ll reveal itself in my surroundings, making my awareness more acute. Several months ago, it appeared as a letter sent to the synagogue I attended growing up, the only words written being, “Jewry must perish.”

Last month, it revealed itself as anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed outside my sister’s elementary school.

And a few days ago, it turned up on my doorstep.

There was a jack-o’-lantern in front of the apartment I share with my Jewish housemate, located just a 10-minute walk away from campus. Instead of the typical festive designs these pumpkins normally have, this one had a giant swastika carved into it.

was a jack-o’-lantern “There in front of the apartment

I share with my Jewish housemate ... Instead of the typical festive designs these pumpkins normally have, this one had a giant swastika carved into it.

”

Swastikas are the symbol of the German Nazi Party, who systemically murdered six million European Jews—as well as members of various other groups—in an attempted ethnic cleansing during the 1930s and ‘40s.

I’ve been at Queen’s for three years, and I’ve become extremely attached to the relationships I’ve created here. But looking at imagery that stands for the extermination of Jews at my front door made me realize just how far I was from home.

I was lucky to grow up in a vibrant Jewish community, and receive a Jewish education from first grade to 12th. I was given every opportunity to engage in Jewish

culture, and my parents worked constantly to help me connect with and discover my Jewish identity.

This upbringing allowed me to feel comfortable and confident in my Jewry. It also provided me with a false sense that everyone was as comfortable with my identity as I was.

I came to Queen’s two years ago with a near endless list of concerns, and anti-semitism was nowhere near the top. I knew I’d be departing the comfortable Jewish community I called home, but I was much too concerned about where I’d sit during my first lecture to think about that.

In my first few weeks, when my Judaism inevitably popped up in conversation with new friends, I got varied reactions. Some people were shocked, and told me I was the first Jewish person they’d ever met. Others concealed their reaction in attempts to prove they were tolerant.

One T.A. took the opposite route, and after I informed her I’d be missing a lab to observe a Jewish holiday, she proceeded to quiz me every next class on the dates of other upcoming Jewish holidays.

While these reactions were new, none of them bothered me or seemed anything but well-intentioned. I was grateful to be in a position where I could teach people about my culture, and learn about others in turn. With this in mind, I strived to put myself out there and take in as much as I could from my new space at Queen’s.

On my first Homecoming, I went out to the streets of campus in celebration of surviving the first month and a half of my university experience. I returned to my dorm after a few hours of walking and took a nap before I planned to go out again.

As I opened my door to leave my room, I saw a poster in front of my room that had a swastika drawn onto it, as well as the phrases “f—k n—s” and “white power.” It was placed so that it was the first thing me and my roommate—also Jewish—would see when we exited our dorm.

I took a backseat as my roommate took down the poster and reported it to our Residence Dons. The poster disturbed me, and I couldn’t help but feel that my new home had been

invaded. Still, despite the presence of a symbol that stood for the extermination of all Jews, I didn’t necessarily feel that my safety had been threatened.

The discriminatory vandalism was appalling, but I justified it as an embarrassing attempt to spark controversy. I pushed the image out of my mind as I tried to salvage what was left of my Homecoming experience.

Time helped me forget the whole ordeal, and I gave the incident little thought over the next two

years.

As my social circle continued to expand and my Queen’s family grew, I settled into the warmth of my new community until last Wednesday.

I returned home from class mid-day and spotted the jack-o’-lantern in front of my apartment.

My roommate and I hadn’t bought any pumpkins, but it didn’t strike me as an unusual sight considering many Queen’s students were celebrating Halloween the weekend before.

As I approached the pumpkin, I saw the massive swastika carved into it.

I stared at the swastika for a minute, hoping that if I focused hard enough the symbol might erase itself. When that failed, I resolved to take a picture of the pumpkin and send it to my housemate, some friends and my landlord.

I rushed inside, locked the door behind me, and started to work on an essay.

I didn’t know who was responsible for the pumpkin, or if they intentionally placed it in front of the home of two Jews.

For a few minutes, I thought that—like the poster in my first-year residence—I’d be better off pretending that nothing had happened.

“

For a few minutes, I thought that ... I’d be better off pretending as if nothing had happened.

”

It wasn’t until I saw the reactions of my friends and family that I realized the potential seriousness and significance of the situation.

My roommate and I spent the rest of our day, and most of our night, relaying what had happened to concerned friends. We spent hours corresponding with the Kingston

Police, and the case now rests in their hands.

In the week since this transpired, I’ve done a lot of introspection about my position as a Jew on campus. And I’ve learned many lessons.

I learned the following statement still needs to be said in 2018: there’s never an appropriate time to graffiti a swastika.

Whether used to assert dominance of the Aryan race or call for the extermination of Jews, what the symbol really signifies today is cowardice of people unwilling to accept they’re on the wrong side of history—and will continue to be, time and time again.

I learned the support of my Queen’s community is stronger than I could’ve dreamed. I’m endlessly thankful for the comfort, compassion, and friendship I’ve been graced with in the past week. I feel more secure than ever knowing so many of my friends and family are willing and even eager to fight in my corner.

Lastly, I learned how unbreakable the Jewish spirit is.

In the countless words of support sent to me and my housemate from Jews on campus, family members, and Jewish organizations across the province, I see so much more than condolence. I see confirmation of the Jewish people’s resilience that history has required us to repeatedly prove.

I see that beyond a deep-set knowledge of antisemitism within us lies the strength to stand in the face of hate and declare our presence. I see a fire raging to keep my culture alive—one that I may have kept hidden in my first year at this school, though its flame is now unmistakable each time I look in the mirror.

[B]eyond a deep-set “ knowledge of antisemitism

within us lies the strength to stand in the face of hate and declare our presence.

”

I can’t remember a time where I was unaware of the people in the world who would harm me. After my experiences at Queen’s, I’ll never forget how—so long as the fire of the Jewish people and our allies burns bright—we will always remain.

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