the journal Vol. 144, Issue 15
Q u e e n ’ s U n iv e r s i t y
F r i day , N ov e m b e r 2 5 , 2 0 1 6
Issues on race Former BISC students discuss & cultural incidents of sexual misconduct appropriation attract national attention Costume party deemed racist online, AMS to hold forum on racism Victoria Gibson & Maureen O’Reilly Journal News Staff
First week of September 2014
first reported incident of sexual misconduct
Seminars on consent held for first-years by concerned upper-year students
Second reported incident of sexual Misconduct
A version of this article appeared online on Nov. 23, 2016. Victoria Gibson News Editor
Every year, over 5,000 km away from Queen’s main campus in Herstmonceux, England, more than a hundred first year students begin their studies at Queen’s Bader International Study Center (BISC) with the same excitement as any first year students. During the 2014-15 academic year, however, the first two months alone would offer a very different experience. “Plenty of people were terrified to go anywhere alone,” Bryan Cuypers, 2014-15 BISC student-council president, recalled of his term two years ago. “It brought up a sense of fear among the
Admin response and clear policy at satellite campus lacking, students say
October 31
Third Reported incident of Sexual Misconduct October 31
Students take to social media to call out admin for stronger response
students — essentially every girl, and even some of the guys.” Throughout those first two months rumors circulated around the BISC of various incidents of sexual misconduct. Faculty and supervisors had been informed, public forums and workshops were held and yet, for those directly affected, the administrative response was inadequate. The Journal spoke to three female students who reported instances of sexual assault and harassment that year, along with student leaders and Queen’s administration, to document the reporting of and responses to sexual violence at Queen’s satellite campus. The names of the three female students
November
Meetings held between affected students and administrators
have been changed in this story to protect their identities. Due to the sensitive nature of their experiences, each chose to describe their cases in writing for The Journal, and later answered any follow-up questions for clarity. The incidents involving Alex and Rachel arose within weeks of each other, leading up to the most severe instance with Diana on Oct. 31. Approximately one month into the year, Alex reported that she was sexually harassed within the BISC residence building. “While I was hooking up with a guy I got my period unexpectedly, my period blood got onto the pillowcase,” she wrote. “We See Students on page 3
Gummo named as 2017 Rhodes Scholar Queen’s student and advocate to attend Oxford in the fall
Julia Balakrishnan Assistant Photo Editor
“Policy interests me as a tool for change,” Claire Gummo, ArtSci ’16, said. For Gummo, the statement has been backed by extensive experience. A politics major with a minor in gender studies, the last four years have been a practice ground for her experience in shaping policy for the University. Now, she’s been selected alongside 11 students across Canada for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. “If there is anything Queen’s has taught me, it is that you never know where your interests and opportunities will take you,” she wrote in an email. Gummo is the fifty-seventh Queen’s student to receive the scholarship. The Rhodes scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding students, chosen on the basis of exceptional intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to See This on page 4 service — to study at the University of Oxford
with their costs covered. However, the Rhodes is not the first scholarly achievement for the Calgary-born student. Gummo was the recipient of the Loran scholarship throughout her undergraduate career. While at Queen’s, she’s served as a student leader in the implementation team of the The Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Working Group at Queen’s, and as a gender consultant for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Her gender-based advocacy started as a volunteer at the Sexual Health Resource Centre in first year. While supporting clients who, after experiencing sexual violence, had to go through the process of assembling a medical evidence kit at Kingston General Hospital, she
SUPPLIED BY CLAIRE GUMMO
See Gummo on page 4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Features
Arts
Sports
Lifestyle
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The choice between a full wallet or a full stomach
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Reviewer experiences her first Queen’s Players show
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October 4
End of September
Early this week, photos from a ‘Beerfest’ party last Saturday at a house in the University District appeared on Facebook, subsequently gaining national attention. The photos show party-goers dressed up in costumes based on racial or cultural stereotypes. Costumes included Arab sheikhs, Buddhist monks, Mexicans in sombreros and prison coveralls, and Viet Cong soldiers. The photographs, many of which were posted publicly by the party organizers, came to the attention of Celeste Yim, a Toronto-based comedian, who subsequently published a series of tweets condemning the event. After the photos began to gain attention, many students took to the public “Overheard at Queen’s” Facebook group to debate the controversial costumes worn to the party. Since Tuesday, the story has been picked up by CBC, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Buzzfeed, and VICE Canada. The morning after Queen’s made national headline news, campus woke up to sights of vandalism around the ARC and JDUC that read “Make Racists Afraid Again”. Campus security was contacted in the morning for comment on the recent vandalism, but have not yet responded. A group called All Year Social (AYS), which is a Commerce Society (ComSoc) committee, hosted a similar party last year. The Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday online photo albums from the group’s previous events depicting Queen’s students “holding chopsticks and squinting their eyes.” The albums have since been removed. However, in a Twitter post on Tuesday evening, former ComSoc President Ana Lopez noted that the AYS event typically took place in October and was not hosted this year. An unaffiliated group with the same acronym, All Your Schoolmates, has faced accusations of organizing Saturday’s event, however, party-attendees say it was organized by individual students. The group took down their Facebook account on
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Formal brings light to Grant Hall for Diwali
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Friday, November 25, 2016
Queen’s student called racial slur downtown News in Brief
Racism should be discussed “more often,” student says of McDonald’s incident Morgan Dodson Assistant News Editor Two weeks ago, an incident of hate speech occurring on Princess Street and towards a Queen’s student was reported to Kingston Police. On Saturday Nov. 12, first-year Kinesiology student, Ampai Thammachack, was called the N-word by a stranger while sitting in the McDonald’s downtown. As Thammachack sat down to grab a bite while studying, she could see a woman sitting two tables away from her staring in her direction. “It never really registered as to why she would be paying attention to me, because I’ve never experienced anything like this in my entire life,” Thammachack said. “I sat down and she goes ‘stupid N-word’ and I didn’t really register what she’d said because it was such a shocking thing and I never thought I’d hear it.” Thammachack said that the woman kept staring and then told her to “go seek services
elsewhere.” The woman also told her “to get off the chip,” and immediately after, left the McDonald’s. Thammachack said that she remained where she was, reported the incident to the manager at the time, and called 911 to create an official report.
crazy.” But to Thammachack this wasn’t an excuse. “You should be sensitive to other people. Especially when you are out in a public setting you have to intervene and you have to be active. You can’t just let it happen and let the perpetrator get away,” Thammachack said. “This issue is something that has to be I’ve never felt for one second talked about. Racism isn’t something that that I would experience racism was just dealt with in the sixties, it’s still very prevalent today.” especially in 2016. Thammachack urged people to continue — Ampai Thammachack, their discussions on racism, as an issue that ArtSci ‘20 still affects so many people — even within the Queen’s community. “I’ve always been one of the very few “Racialized minorities and anyone people of colour in any community I’ve who is a minority regardless of what been in, and it’s never felt odd and I’ve group you are, you just always have never felt for one second that I would to make sure you are getting the experience racism especially in 2016,” support you need and that you Thammachack said. are proud of the things that make Thammachack also recalled that after you different.” the woman had left people around her responded by saying “she must just be
“
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Second year Economics students dies in motor vehicle accident On Nov. 23, the Queen’s Gazette informed the Queen’s community of the death of Rachel (Wei Yu) Zhang, a second-year student from China, who died as a result of injuries sustained during a motor vehicle accident in Markham, Ontario on Nov. 18. In the statement, Principal Daniel Woolf offered his deepest sympathy to Rachel’s family and friends on behalf of the entire Queen’s community. A memorial service for Zhang will be held on Sunday, Dec. 4 at the Queen’s University International Centre. — Blake Canning
Nazi graffiti found in student housing district
On Thursday Nov. 17, graffiti depicting Nazi symbolism was found on a fence in a backyard near Earl and Victoria Street. According to Kingston Police Media Relations Officer Steve Koopman, the report from the incident stated that “the graffiti was an unrecognizable word with a German SS symbol.” The complainant, according to Koopman, had recently moved to Kingston from Toronto with her family. She found the graffiti early Thursday morning. “The circumstances are dictated that this would constitute a hate crime,” Koopman said. However, he noted that the graffiti didn’t appear to be directed at or specific to anyone. The graffiti was cleaned up quickly by locals and Queen’s students together. Kingston Police will continue to look into the situation. — Morgan Dodson
Kingston Police confirm no incident after Morris Hall emergency call
Carly Robertson offering her regular “Free Hugs” in the Queen’s ARC.
PHOTO BY ELLIE BERRY
Students raise upward of $3,000 during Christmas Wish fundraiser
Carly Robertson, known for ‘Free Hugs’ on campus, will use funds to pay debts Blake Canning Assistant News Editor
Robertson was born four months pre-mature and has since been blind in her right eye, with limited visibility in her left. For someone who comforts students in She has limited hearing and communicates their free time as a hobby, Carly Robertson by using hearing aids and reading lips. is even more cheerful than usual. “I was like She has recently started a personal WHOAAAAAAAA! WOWW! That’s fast!” she business of teaching sign language, but wrote to The Journal. over the past few months she had started This Christmas, Robertson — known to take cash loans to supplement the on campus as the “Free Hugs” lady — will $788 she gets in disability support per be receiving nearly $3,000 after a friend month, according to the description and Queen’s student heard of her financial on GoFundMe. troubles and started a fundraising campaign “It’s just a big burden lifted off to get out to help her pay off outstanding debts. of this stupid debt. I’m just really thankful.” The initial goal of $1,800 was shattered Robertson continued in her video. within 8 hours of GoFundMe and Tilt pages “I got home around five hours [after the being posted and shared on the “Overheard campaign was posted] and was surprised to at Queen’s” Facebook page on Nov. 19. see all the money I needed was raised plus Robertson’s face is easily recognizable to was so blessed to see many still gave, and many students in the ARC who have seen her kept giving even after what I needed!” she in the last few years proudly holding up her wrote to The Journal. ‘Free Hugs’ sign. Harjaap Singh, Comm ’17, organized the “I love spreading love and joy to you guys,” initiative. He said he got to know Robertson she said in a video posted to Overheard six the same way as so many other Queen’s hours after the initial post. “And I’m just really students: by being offered a free hug. After thankful. I wish I could give you guys all an attending some of her sign language air hug!” classes, and after nearly half a year of
friendship, she opened up to him about her financial struggles. “$780 is nothing at all,” he said of her disability payments. It was this fact that sparked the idea for Carly’s Christmas Wish. The GoFundMe page has since been closed, but the Tilt account is still accepting donations and has raised another $300 on top of the existing $3,200. A portion of the funds raised on the GoFundMe page go to pay the service fee for the website. Taking on a more serious tone, Singh stressed that the campaign was solely intended to help lift the burden of a friend and a cherished staple in the Queen’s community. “One of her concerns was that ‘I’ve been doing this for months, I really don’t want people to start thinking I’m doing this for money. That would just ruin everything I’ve done.” He was relieved with the overwhelmingly positive reaction the campaign garnered from the Queen’s community online. “Because Overheard can be negative a lot of times, right?” he said.
At approximately 5:00 a.m on Nov. 24, multiple patrol officers responded to a call at Queen’s Morris Hall residence building concerning a single student in their residence room, according to a Kingston Police report. In the press release, it was noted that after a quick but thorough investigation, KP detectives determined no offence occurred at Morris Hall and that never at any time was there any risk to the complainant, other students or residence staff. The release indicated that no further information would be made available. — Blake Canning
Vice Principal of Research to depart for Ryerson University by February, 2017
On Nov. 23, Principal Daniel Woolf announced that Vice Principal (Research) Steven Liss will be stepping down as of February 28, 2017 in order to pursue a new job as the Vice President of Research and Innovation at Ryerson University. Principal Woolf congratulated Dr. Liss on his new position and said that he would be greatly missed as part of the Queen’s community in a statement released by Queen’s Communications on Wednesday. For the period of March 1 to Dec. 31 2017, John Fisher of the Biomedical and Molecular Sciences faculty has agreed to serve as the interim vice-principal of research. Fisher is already currently serving as an associate vice-principal of research here at Queen’s as well as the director of research for Queen’s Health Sciences. The search process for a new permanent replacement Vice Principal will begin in the early spring of next year. — Blake Canning
Friday, November 25, 2016
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The Bader International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle in England, which has been owned and operated by Queen’s since 1994.
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PHOTO BY VICTORIA GIBSON
Students detail harassment and assault Continued from front
stopped what we were doing and I got up to leave. I tried to take the pillow case with me but he wouldn’t let me leave unless I left it with him.” Over the next week, she was informed that the pillowcase had been hung in the men’s bathroom after also being brought into the common room. “The pillowcase became known as the ‘Japanese Flag’,” she wrote. For Rachel, her experience began on the first night of the academic year. With a group of new students, she went down to the campus pub, where, due to the lowered drinking age in England, most first-year students were legally served alcohol by the campus establishment. “We were terrified to be there and desperate to form some kind of connection between each other. I remember being so nervous, and drinking as quickly as possible to take the edge off,” she wrote. Speaking with a first-year male student she just met, she recalls “clumsy flirting” and pleasant conversation, until the male student reached over and groped her. After informing him that she wasn’t okay with what he did, the male student apologized and Rachel left the situation. However, later that night outside the pub, the male student repeated the same action. “This time, due to my steadily rising drunkenness and extremely thin patience with this sort of thing, I burst into tears and yelled at him,” Rachel wrote. Following the incident outside the pub, another male student approached the two and told the first male student that Rachel “just wasn’t drunk enough for that yet”. Both Rachel and Alex approached the residence Student Life Coordinators (SLC) — hired staff who serve a similar role as a Residence Don — the night of their incidents and in each case said they were asked by staff what they wanted to be done in response. “I had no idea what to ask for,” Rachel wrote. “Not to mention, wasn’t there a guideline for dealing with this? Some sort of code of conduct with consequences? I just asked that he apologize for it.” Days later, Rachel was informed the male student had apologized, and that was the last she heard of it. In Alex’s case, she said the SLCs were very supportive. “I wanted this boy to be sent home, but I wasn’t sure if that was even a possibility. I did know, however, that I wanted an apology.” A meeting was arranged between the two heads of Student Services with the male student and Alex, where she read him a letter about the serious impact the incident had on her. “That meeting ended with me not feeling any better about the situation, as he didn’t accept any blame and didn’t apologize for his part in anything. He stated that he was sorry I was upset and that it happened but it wasn’t his fault and he wouldn’t say whose fault it was.” After the meeting, the incident was taken to a disciplinary body at the BISC, consisting of many of her professors and some fellow students. “It was extremely uncomfortable,” she recalled, “I felt like I had to justify why I was upset and why I wanted something to be done.” A month after finding out about the pillowcase, she said she received an email apology from the male student. Her last name, she recalled, was spelt incorrectly. “Nothing I had put myself through even mattered because he didn’t even feel bad enough to know who it was that he
hurt. This was all that I found out about the punishment that was administered,” she wrote. Since the incidents occurred, a new sexual violence policy and student code of conduct have been implemented university-wide. However, with the BISC thousands of kilometers away from Queen’s main campus, the disciplinary sanctions for sexual violence are unclear. Within the University’s new Non-Academic Misconduct (NAM) policy — which was formalized this year and outlines responses for students infringing on the Student Code of Conduct — five units tasked with the oversight and implementation of discipline are specified: the AMS, the SGPS, Athletics and Recreation, Residences and the Student Conduct Office. None of these units exist at the BISC. Similarly, within the University’s new Sexual Violence Response and Prevention Policy — which was formally instated in March of 2016 — there’s no explicit mention of the BISC.
there a guideline for “ Wasn’t dealing with this? ” — *Rachel, a first-year student
For those on Queen’s main campus, the policy directs those reporting sexual misconduct to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator — a position created this year that operates out of Kingston. Queen’s Communications supplied The Journal with a link to the BISC Policies and Regulations, which lays out general rules and disciplinary processes. The Student Conduct Process is divided into levels of severity, from one to three. For level one and two incidents, the Assistant Student and Enrolment Services Manager is assigned responsibility for gathering information about the incident and assigning a sanction. For level three offenses, the responsibility is on the the Student and Enrolment Services Manager to investigate and may refer the case to the BISC’s Non Academic Discipline Committee “depending on the nature of the case”, as it states. “The Student and Enrolment Services Manager and the BISC Management reserve the right to take immediate action to ensure the safety, security and well-being of all residents. This may include a temporary loss or restriction of privileges,” the policy reads. No mention of sexual violence is made under any of the three levels within the policy. “Inappropriate behaviour” is listed under level three, as “behaviour that is discriminatory and/or harassing as set out in the University’s Harassment/Discrimination Complaint Policy and Procedure; also included is any form of personal harassment or behaviour that is retaliatory in nature.” The most severe sanction listed in the policy is the removal from residence, which “will necessarily result in the student being required to withdraw from their program at the BISC,” the policy reads. In an email to The Journal, Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon wrote that “Queen’s takes the issue of sexual violence extremely seriously and has policies in place to respond to allegations of sexual violence.” “As an integral part of Queen’s University, the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) also has such policies.”
Bacon declined to speak on the specific cases, citing reasons of privacy. He explained that the process at the BISC and the process on main campus are both survivor-focused. “Options regarding how to proceed after an alleged incident of sexual violence are discussed with the survivor, and support personnel at the BISC work with the survivor as the chosen process is followed.” “The university is currently finalizing its revised and updated Sexual Violence Policy. Once the new policy is in place, we will ensure that the BISC policy remains aligned with main campus, while taking into account institutional and jurisdictional differences.” He directed students wishing to seek support to contact the main campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Coordinator, Barb Lotan. At the BISC, he said that students can seek counselling services or speak with the Student Services staff. In a resource document for BISC students currently posted on the BISC website, individuals who experienced sexual assault are directed to call the Saturn Sexual Assault Referral Centre, an hour’s drive from the BISC or a 3-hour train journey. Back in 2014 at the BISC, however, after some of the older students on-campus heard of some of the issues that had been going on among first years, an upper-year student named Peter Green decided to approach the situation head-on with Student Services. In an email to The Journal recalling his steps, Green said he relayed his concerns to the Student Life Coordinators, who requested that Green develop a seminar on healthy relationships and consent. The Oct. 4, 2014 seminar was attended by every male student as well as nearly every female student, according to Green. “To the best of my knowledge, the sexual harassment stopped immediately with a decisive and predominantly held definition of consent,” he said. “However, one individual allegedly persisted to exhibit a pattern of behaviour consistent with sexual assault.”
“I just want it all to go away.” — *Diana, a first-year student
On Oct. 31, students at the BISC collectively took to social media and called for administration to take action. That night, the same male student who harassed Rachel at the beginning of the year made a sexual advance on Diana, she wrote to The Journal. He approached Diana’s residence room, appearing to be intoxicated. After Diana told the male student that she wasn’t interested in his advances, she said he aggressively forced his way into her dorm room, informed her they were going to have sex and began to violently force himself on her. Students on Diana’s residence floor heard the violent altercation, intervened and lead her to the Student Life Coordinators. She recalls sobbing through the conversation, unable to properly explain to the SLCs what had just happened to her. Seeing the SLC’s immediately serious response, she wrote that “all of a sudden, the gravity of my situation set in. This behaviour exhibited by that student was sexual assault.” A week later, the same SLC contacted Diana, telling her that staff were discussing an appropriate response. She recalls being told they “wished that there was more that could be done”, but for the time being she
“had to sit tight,” Diana wrote. “I still didn’t understand fully what was going on, all I know was I felt sick to my stomach at the thought that me and my fellow students were not safe.” Alex affirmed this feeling, saying it was shared by many of the female students that year, who would often talk about the situations arising in residence. “You know that the professor at the front of the class knows and you know that the SLC that passed you in the hall on your way to class knows,” Alex wrote. “You know that every person who has any power at the BISC knows that this man, if not stopped, would rape a girl.” “And he’s still sitting behind you. He’s still going around to the pub at night. He’s still getting drunk in the residence, and there doesn’t seem to be anything anyone is doing to stop him.” Over the next month, Diana attended several meetings with members of the BISC staff, “re-telling my story over and over again and lots and lots of tears. Word traveled fast.” Like Rachel and Alex, Diana said she was asked what she wanted to be done in response. “My 17 year old, fresh out of high school, living on my own for the first time, brain could only think of one response. I just want it all to go away.” She was given the option of an academic trial, which would’ve required her to speak in front of her professors and peers, or to come up with her own punishment. “I was scared and felt completely unqualified to be making that kind of a decision,” she recalls telling the staff members handling her case. Meanwhile, meetings addressing sexual violence were held separately for all male and female students, with only the former being mandatory, the students said. “Many of the guys at the meeting brushed off every word that was said, but many of us did not. There was another, less formal, meeting for anybody that wished to go, and most of the guys that were unsympathetic at the boys’ meeting did not go,” then-student council president, Bryan Cuypers told The Journal. “Beyond the week of the incidents itself, there was very little visible punishment ... the news of the events spread like wildfire in the tiny campus.” Overall, he said that Student Services tried to assign appropriate punishments, “but because they were so insistent on protecting the privacy of the instigators, it only seemed to deepen the problem on the campus ... even those that had little understanding of the events were nervous, and the staff seldom addressed it.” In the end, Diana said, the Head of Student Services required that the male student write an essay on respecting women and be given an alcohol ban. “Which most definitely was not enforced,” she wrote. The male student stayed at the BISC for the remainder of the year and by Diana’s account, he broke the ban and continued to drink in residence throughout that time. “My hope is that the BISC can learn from this and provide a protocol for these types of situations. Something needs to go in place so other 17-18 year olds spending their first year away from home in a foreign country aren’t responsible for taking on what should have been the job of the BISC administrators.” * Names have been changed for privacy.
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Messages to “Make Racists A[f]raid Again” on campus Wednesday.
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PHOTO BY JACOB ROSEN
‘This is a mess,’ ComSoc President Vyas says
Principal Daniel Woolf also released a Canadian Senator Anne Cools at Queen’s. statement, saying “Queen’s strives to be Tuesday. The page previously read that they a diverse and inclusive community free plan “everything fun in Commerce”, and has from discrimination or harassment of any posted similar albums of events in the past. kind. Any event that degrades, mocks, or Lopez told The Toronto Star that students marginalizes a group or groups of people is running the party charged attendees $40, completely unacceptable.” and assign countries for teams of five. Principal Woolf’s statement also “This is a mess,” current ComSoc mentions that the University is looking into President Bhavik Vyas, wrote to The Journal the matter, and if it is ascertained to be a on Tuesday afternoon. “And it is a really Queen’s sponsored or sanctioned event, they disappointing situation. But we have to take will “take appropriate action.” the higher ground, act with grace, and utilize When asked on Twitter what he could honesty to make sure people do not get conceivably do if the event wasn’t sanctioned caught up in the rumor mill.” or on Queen’s property, Woolf responded “Media outlets who acted upon false that it would depend on factors such as information should re-evaluate their whether it was a student club. processes and really take a hard look “But before we do anything we are going at the integrity of their journalists.” He to find out exactly what happened,” he wrote. noted his disappointment particularly in On Wednesday evening, Woolf VICE’s coverage. updated his statement, adding that “as ComSoc, and any affiliated groups such as the principal of Queen’s, I am upset and All Year Social, were “not in any way a part disappointed by this incident and want to of planning or hosting either of the events in learn more about it so that the university question,” he said. can take appropriate measures to address “However, if the event runs unsanctioned concerns that have arisen, including (without permission), then it in no way my own.” has affiliation with the Queen's Commerce He noted that Provost Benoit-Antoine Society or the Alma Mater Society and Bacon had been asked to gather as much is being run by private individuals who information as possible to determine assume all personal liability for their events whether the event falls within the scope and actions.” of Queen’s Student Code of Conduct. "The The Alma Mater Society (AMS) executives, Code of Conduct is applicable to students’ also released a statement on Tuesday off-campus conduct in certain condemning the party, then another on circumstances," he added. Thursday evening. "As we work through this, I encourage Thursday’s statement noted that the Queen’s community members to be AMS Committee Against Racial and Ethnic respectful of one another in both their Discrimination and Human Rights Office conversations and their actions." will be holding a forum about race, culture, This incident follows on the heels of racism and discrimination at Queen’s on Dec. another race-based controversy that made 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Wallace Hall. national news headlines on campus last “Our intention is to give members of the month, wherein a production of Othello Queen’s community the opportunity to voice was suspended after backlash around the their concerns in a constructive manner,” decision to cast a white female in the title SUPPLIED BY CLAIRE GUMMO they wrote. role, classically played by a black man. Continued from front
Friday, November 25, 2016
See more stories online. PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
Gummo hoping to research Comparative Social Policy Continued from front
says her committment to promoting change on campus was solidified. “Through this process I saw firsthand the harsh reality of sexual violence, and particularly how it impacts Queen’s students,” she said. “This motivated me to become further engaged in the conversation on sexual violence prevention and response that was developing at Queen’s.” Gummo also led the development and facilitation of the AMS Bystander Intervention Program, which began in the fall of 2015. The program gives Queen’s students and staff the tools to recognize and respond to sexual violence when they see it in public spaces. “Studies have shown that Bystander Intervention Programming can have a significant impact on prevention and reducing instances of sexual violence,” Gummo said. “For me, if the team has contributed to stopping even one instance of sexual violence, that’s enough.” This year, over 2,000 students have received Bystander Training, and Queen’s has instituted their new Sexual Violence policy as well as the hiring of a sexual response coordinator. Gummo served on the consultation team for these decisions. “I think the latest draft of the policy does a good job of meeting the needs articulated by students, while also complying with provincial legislation,” Gummo said. However, she also reserves opinion for seeing how it operates in practice. With experience as a policy and advocacy assistant for the Nobel Women’s Initiative, gender consultant for NATO, and a research assistant at the Centre for International and Defence Policy, policy remains Gummo’s chief interest and a door for limitless possibilities. “Policy helps to frame the conversation and allocate the necessary resources and supports for the important on-the-ground work to be done,” she said. At Oxford, she hopes to pursue an advanced postgraduate research degree in Comparative Social Policy. “While policy is just one small part of broader efforts, I do believe it can facilitate meaningful cultural change.” In the future, she hopes to return to Canada to develop public policy “in some form or another.”
Friday, November 25, 2016
Features
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IN-DEPTH STORIES FROM AROUND CAMPUS AND IN THE COMMUNITY
STUDENT HEALTH
Rising tuition leading to empty cupboards The realities of food insecurity pose health and financial issues for university students Brigid Goulem Copy Editor “It’s the remix to ignition, college student edition, eating ramen for dinner, can’t afford my tuition.” The amusing take on a “starving student” lifestyle widely circulated through Yik Yak, Twitter and just about every other form of social media at different universities last year. But the reality of food insecurity on campus remains. 40 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students are “food insecure” according to the Hungry for Knowledge report released by Meal Exchange — a non-profit organization that works to combat student hunger — in October of this year. Food insecurity, a relatively new term, is defined by Meal Exchange as having financial constraints that “limit the ability of an individual or household to purchase adequate amounts and types of foods.” Someone who’s food secure has the physical or economic recourses to access enough healthy foods that meet their dietary and cultural needs. For example, food insecurity includes being anxious about running out of money to buy food, not having enough money to eat balanced meals or not eating for extended periods due to a lack of money. The Hungry for Knowledge report looked at five universities across Canada, not including Queen’s, however AMS Food Bank Manager, Cole Smith, wasn’t surprised when he saw the findings. The Food Bank has been operating at Queen’s since 1997 to provide both fresh and non-perishable foods to students who need it. According to Smith, ArtSci ’17, it receives about 20 to 30 visits a week, with a larger percentage of these visits being from international students. In 2015, it reported around 20-25 visits per week, which was a 50 per cent jump from the year previous. According to Smith, there are students on campus who have to choose between a healthy meal with a roof over their head or succeeding academically, “all that while trying to maintain the same student experience and quality of life that should be extended to all students who come to our campus.” The report cites the rising cost of tuition as the largest factor contributing to food insecurity. It states that the average cost of tuition per semester for 2015-16 was $6,191 in Canada, compared to $3,192 in 1993-94. According to Meal Exchange, in 2014 the average student was graduating with $26,500 in debt. While the report identified tuition as the biggest factor in food insecurity for students, the growing costs of rent, utilities and food are factors that threaten food security as well. Meal Exchange found that Aboriginal, black and international students, as well as students with dependent children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity. From their findings, Meal Exchange made recommendations, firstly to look into the issue more. Relatively little research has been done on student food insecurity and more data would help researchers and
policy makers understand the roots and potential solutions to food insecurity among post-secondary students. The next was exploring the idea of a Guaranteed Annual Income (GAI), to allow low-income students to pursue a post-secondary education with fewer barriers. Additionally, affordable housing should become a priority for students, the report says, as post-secondary institutions fail to match increasing enrolment with student housing needs. Finally, the report recommended increasing access to education for Aboriginal students, tying the issue of food insecurity into the process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. But what does food insecurity look like at Queen’s? While there’s no hard data regarding food insecurity at Queen’s, Smith believes that trends are no different here than elsewhere. However, he observed that there are general misconceptions regarding what food insecurity looks like. “I think our patron base is highly under-representative of people who could 40 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students are “food insecure” according to Meal benefit from using the food bank and who Exchange’s recent report. might have a normalized conception of what food insecurity is, and they are saying ‘I don’t have that, even if they might be captured under the metrics that meal exchange was using,” he said. Smith noted that when you’re at school, you’re unable to generate income, yet you’re expected to pay enormous fees. According to Smith, studies have shown that food insecurity can put students at a significant disadvantage to their peers. Still, it’s assumed that this is just the status quo, that student hunger is just part of the student experience. “We don’t want people to think that, in the sense that they have to struggle through at the risk of their health and their success in school, and so we hope that people will see the AMS Food Bank as a resource they can access when they are in a position of need,” Smith said. In September of this year at a Board of Trustees meeting, Rector Cam Yung brought to the administration’s attention that 30 students had used the AMS Food Bank’s services over the span of two days, he said in an email to The Journal. According to Yung, the service runs off a budget of $250 a week and donations from the community. “In my opinion, this is not sustainable,” Yung wrote. For Yung, not having food in their stomachs shouldn’t be a barrier to education. “There needs to be a greater awareness for student, staff, faculty, and administration and the general Queen’s community about food insecurity on our campus,” he wrote. “This is not an emerging issue. It has been an issue for a long time.” The AMS Food Bank is open Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 5-6 pm in MacGillivray-Brown Hall at 218 Barrie Street. The AMS Food Bank is open to anyone without proof of need and welcomes donations. The shelves of the AMS Food Bank, located in MacGillivray-Brown Hall.
JOURNAL FILE PHOTOS
6 • queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 25, 2016
EDITORIALS
The Journal’s Perspective
Faltering media literacy spans wider than one generation
O
ur deteriorating ability to read the news is more than a generational shortcoming — it’s worth a larger and closer look at how we all evaluate information, millennial or not. A Stanford University study found that approximately 82 per cent of young teens can’t differentiate between sponsored content and real news. The study included 7,804 students from middle school through college. While the study itself is important, its focus on a younger crowd may be influenced by the
popular image of millennials as clueless and unaware. It’s not uncommon for readers of all ages to share clickbait articles and non-credible sources on social media. A study with a wider demographic span may find that the issue of information literacy is bigger than one generation. There’s an increasingly blurry line between real news and news disguised as real, but while this is the symptom, the decline of the news industry may be the sickness. When mainstream news outlets
Ashley Rhamey
“
Judging what’s biased is also inherently biased it’s impossible to monitor — where the partiality starts or ends.
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are pushed into a corner financially, they’re forced to find new ways to make money through sponsorship and native advertising. Fake news can be circulated so easily on Facebook and Twitter it becomes difficult to recognize the difference, but although it may be
Free parks in 2017 isn’t a cause for celebration
Free admission to Canada’s national parks is a step in the right direction, but still a walk in the dark. To celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, admission for all visitors to national parks will be free in 2017. The plan is meant to promote Canada’s national parks, some of which have less than 100 visitors per year, and to make outdoor experiences more accessible. But while the idea is well-intentioned, it doesn’t take the diversity of Canada’s national parks into account. Some are more sensitive to the disruption of visitors and some, like Banff National Park, are overcrowded as it is. Every year students from all across Canada and the world flock to Banff, Alberta to work in one of Canada’s most picturesque tourist destinations. Anyone who’s been
there during peak season knows exactly how busy it can get. The park is made up of over 6,000 square kilometres of the Rocky Mountains, home to expansive forests, hiking trails, diverse wildlife and the famous turquoise Lake Louise.
It doesn’t take into “account the more
popular national parks that already face tourism traffic problems, like Banff National Park.
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By opening it up for free, the increase in visitors isn’t going to be easy to deal with. Banff’s tourist numbers have already been increasing steadily, with 3.8 billion visitors in 2015 alone. The mayor of Banff has expressed her frustration with Parks Canada’s lack of collaboration with them to strategize for 2017 and there’s real anxiety among Banff’s residents, who are concerned for the impact on the wildlife along with the cultural integrity of the park. More people means more trash, more campsites, more motor
accidents on park roads, and the danger inflicted on animals in populated zones. With the May 2-4 weekend less than six months away, the window for adequate preparation is closing. The money lost during the free admission year through waived park fees is not the problem that threatens the park from free admission, it’s the sheer numbers of visitors. Hiring more park staff, a set number of passes a day, diverting mountain traffic, and capping campsites are all possible precautions that can be taken to minimize damage to delicate ecosystems with the influx of visitors. These are all things that should’ve been planned before the promise of free admission was made. The irony is that the government’s plan to celebrate Canada’s national parks for their value to Canadian culture and heritage may just be the very thing that ends up harming them. Ashley is The Journal’s Assistant Lifestyle Editor. She’s a fourthyear English major.
tempting to solve this problem by regulating what’s published online, censorship isn’t the answer. Judging what’s biased is also inherently biased — it’s impossible to monitor where the partiality starts or ends. So the responsibility falls on middle schools and high schools to do more to teach students how to read for themselves. A class about research skills has the potential to teach a lot more than just a fear of Wikipedia. A skill that allows people to distinguish fact from fiction
THE QUEEN’S
ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT LIN
can shape the way future generations assess information and way these generations formulate their world views. Teaching students the skills to distinguish between an advertisement and a credible news source on their Facebook timelines may seem non-academic, but it can have a lasting impact. The problem isn’t only among young people, but maybe the solution to it has to be. — Journal Editorial Board Brittany Almeida
Contributors
Ronen Goldfarb Jasnit Pabla
JOURNAL
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Want to contribute? For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editors in Chief at journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Contributions from all members of the Queen’s and Kingston community are welcome. The Journal reserves the right to edit all submissions. The Queen’s Journal is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University, Kingston. Editorial opinions expressed in The Journal are the sole responsibility of The Queen’s Journal Editorial Board, and are not necessarily those of the University, the AMS or their officers. 190 University Ave., Kingston, ON, K7L 3P4 Editorial Office: 613-533-2800 Business Office: 613-533-6711 Fax: 613-533-6728 Email: journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca Please address complaints and grievances to the Editors in Chief. The Queen’s Journal is printed on a Goss Community press by Performance Group of Companies in Smiths Falls, Ontario. Contents © 2016 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal. Circulation 4,000
Friday, November 25, 2016
queensjournal.ca
OPINIONS
Your Perspective
What should we remember?
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
Remembrance Day leaves no room for contemplation amidst its push for patriotism
Nik Papageorgiou, ArtSci '14 Contributor As I’ve grown older, I’ve become increasingly ambivalent to Remembrance Day. That’s not to say I take issue with setting aside a day to remember and contemplate those who risked everything in the name of what they thought was right. Quite the contrary; we should take more than 15 minutes every year to engage in the sort of remembrance and contemplation that Remembrance Day exists for. Unfortunately, the day itself has little to do with such contemplation. There’s no room for questions about whether what our progenitors fought and died for was indeed right and just — that’s now plainly assumed. Remembrance Day has become nothing more than a time for uttering platitudes soaked in ardent nationalism and blind veneration of military force. I witnessed one of these unabashed displays at City Park in Kingston a few weeks ago. The Master of Ceremonies was an elderly gentleman with a gruff and guttural voice, and a central part of his program was his loose recitation of a poem often attributed to Charles M.
Province. That poem extols the primacy of the soldier thusly:
“It is the soldier, not the reporter, that has given us freedom of the press It is the soldier, not the poet, that has given us freedom of speech It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, that has given us freedom to protest It is the solder, not the lawyer, that has given us the right to a fair trial”
put forth to a crowd that included several elementary schoolchildren. I couldn’t help but think that these children would grow up believing that all our freedoms were won at gunpoint that the actions of journalists and poets and protesters and lawyers are deservedly secondary to the actions of soldiers and that it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. When the moment of silence came, my thoughts turned to the men, many of them younger than me at the time, who
we make every soldier into a hero, and “ When we find ourselves unable to debate the merits both of past wars and of sending our armies into combat again.
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After this reading came that of the bishop, who admonished us to pray for the men who died so that we may live, and who died in the name of holy “truth and righteousness.” We were to pray for men who took life, and who in turn had theirs taken, all with God on their side. I found this disappointing, but hardly surprising. It was, however, profoundly disquieting that these statements were
served in the First World War. Perhaps my discomfort is best summed up in a book I read called Warrior Nation by Ian McKay and Jamie Swift. One of its major themes can be paraphrased as follows: when we make every soldier into a hero, we make all their actions heroic, and we find ourselves unable to debate the merits both of past wars and of sending our armies into combat again.
Thinking back to the schoolchildren, we hope they will become tomorrow’s active participants in democracy. But by consistently telling them that freedom is always born out of violent conflict, and by giving them such a peremptorily one-sided picture of how war, nation and freedom are intertwined, we do them a significant disservice. We make democratic participation more difficult and less likely for them. And in consistently feeding the same lines to adults, we essentially do the same, for we circumscribe the important discussions we ought to now be having. I leave you with the ever-poignant words of Bob Dylan: So now as I’m leaving, I’m weary as hell. The confusion I’m feeling, Ain’t no tongue can tell. The words fill my head, and they fall to the floor: That if God’s on our side, he’ll stop the next war.
Nik Papageorgiou ArtSci '14 alumnus.
is
a
Queen’s
Talking heads ... around campus
PHOTOS BY AUSTON CHHOR
Thoughts on Week 11?
•7
“It’s week 11 ...”
Makenzie Mackay, ArtSci ’17
“Thank god it’s almost Christmas.” Tamika Myskiw, ArtSci ’19
“I like what I’m doing so the stress is manageable.” Zarah Suficiencia, ConEd ’17
“. . .”
Christopher Thomas, ConEd ’19
8 • queensjournal.ca
ARTS
Friday, November 25, 2016
QUEENS PLAYERS
Tipsy review: Sex, drugs and Trump
Queen’s Players debut Orange is the New Outback show Alex Palermo Assistant Arts Editor On Wednesday night, I lost my Queen’s Players virginity. To say the experience was special is an understatement as I was all smiles and laughs for the three-hour duration of the show. The group debuted their savage show, Orange is The New Outback, to an enthusiastic crowd at The Mansion. I threw back a schooner or two and watched their season opener unfold before my slightly-out -of-focus eyes. Naturally, I learned the basics of Players as I went along. Rule number one: buy the cast drinks, rule number two: Scream “Sing!” when you hear the name of a song come up in the script, and rule number three: yell “seamless” when a cast member messes up their line Plus, rule number four: stay hydrated. This is a rule I made up for myself. The performance featured the likes of Red and Pornstache from Orange is the New Black and Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who joined Bindi Irwin, Family Guy’s Meg Griffin, Archer, and president-elect Donald Trump on stage. The live band played consistently to accompany the skits. Even Ms. Finster from Disney’s Recess made an appearance, prefacing the show with a convincing monologue that explained the context of the performance: the actors were playing an incoming flux of inmates to the Kingston Penitentiary. I was pleased to see that both Miss Piggy from The Muppets and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz were main characters for the night. Miss Piggy didn’t disappoint the crowd, managing to bring up the hot topic of fisting while detailing her latest sexual experience with her “fuck-frog”, Kermit. The night was off to a good start. A Series of Unfortunate Events’ Count Olaf, also cameoed, starting with a scandalous
Some of the cast in this year’s show included Donald Trump, Miss Piggy and Porn Stache.
confession. He revealed that some of his most recent offences were kidnapping small orphans like Annie and Harry Potter, as well as designing the scavenger hunt for TAPS’ last social. Donald Trump certainly delivered a “yuge” performance, referring to his wife as “Melanoma” and remarking that he hasn’t seen Hillary in this prison. He keeps looking out for her. I actually enjoy hearing other people’s secrets, so I was excited when the Tin Man decided to share the crime he had committed to earn his time: “Some munchkin shithead
Kickin’ it with Krief Montreal-based band plays Clark Hall on campus Patrick Krief performing at Clark Hall on Nov. 18.
Emily Sanders Contributor Last Friday night, Patrick Krief and his similarly-named band, Krief, ventured from Montreal to play Clark Hall Pub. The atmosphere was relaxed, yet the audience was nothing short of enthusiastic. Complementing Krief ’s more conventional rock sound was Fleece, a hip psychedelic jazz-rock band also based in Montreal. Krief’s textured rock ballads, even if unfamiliar, can evoke the same feelings of nostalgia as your favourite oldies. The
PHOTO BY GHAZAL BARADARI-GHIAMI
frontman has a casual demeanour, a dry sense of humour, and a clear passion for making music. Prior to the show, The Journal sat down with Patrick Krief to discuss his influences, writing process and why he wouldn’t want to collaborate with John Lennon. Q: Who are some artists that inspire you?
A: The most inspiration I have taken from anyone is from The Beatles. However, it’s a pretty long list, ranging from classical music to Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan. Most of the stuff is old.
asked me if I was carrying opium. Turns out there were poppy seeds in my Timbits.” If that isn’t relatable, let me know what is. He then proceeded to spit some rhymes as he covered SonReal’s ‘Can I Get a Witness’ and I spent the next three minutes dancing around and belting out every word. The night ended with the entire crowd jumping and singing ‘1985’ by Bowling for Soup, ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ by Kelly Clarkson, and the players detailing “what they learned tonight” as the band punctuated their answers with cymbals and drums. Q: What is your writing process like?
A: It usually starts with music. I start with a couple of chords on guitar or piano. Then, the music starts coming together and I hear vocals and melodies and start stacking it on. Once I have a clear direction for the song, melodically and structurally, I start thinking about which words need to fit.
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
“My housemate literally broke his leg today, but he’s still here,” was Count Olaf’s response. Bindi Irwin added that she learned, “We’re teachers, but we can still get fucked up.” Amen. In the flawlessly Russian-accented words of Red, “I run this show like Putin runs Russia. Badly.” And in response to the question the cast asked over and over again: “Hey fuckers, you want another one?” Yes. Who wouldn’t? A: My taste in music has been pretty consistent throughout my life. I discovered The Beatles when I was really young, like two, three years old, and I still listen to them. The music I listened to growing up is still the music I appreciate the most. I’ve broadened my horizons a bit, but the music I find most pleasing is still the same.
Q: What song can you listen to over and Q: If you could collaborate with any artist, over again? dead or alive, who would it be? A: I can listen to ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie A: I usually say John Lennon, but I feel like over and over again. It ends and you’re like, ‘I it may be a horrible mistake to collaborate could do that again.’ with one of your heroes. So, I probably don’t know that person yet. Maybe Bob Dylan. I Q: What’s the best part about wouldn’t write any lyrics, see what he does, living in Montreal? and have my mind blown. A: At this point, because there are a lot of Q: What is the best part about cons to living in Montreal, I guess the best part is the cheap rent, which is really handy. being a musician? The general standard of living is pretty great. A: The best part of being a musician is There’s also great culture, great art, and having an outlet. Having a tool for expression great food. that isn’t language. Also, I’ve met so many interesting people. Most people I meet in Q: What’s it like to make music with your this industry are not linear thinkers. You see other band members? a lot of similar characters, but everybody is A: They each have their own way of enriching unique and interesting. and interpreting the music. It’s not really Q: Has your taste in music changed something militant or directed. Everybody has the right instinct and it’s been really fun over the years? seeing these songs come to life.
Arts
Friday, November 25, 2016
queensjournal.ca
•9
MUSIC
Brendan Canning plays The Grad Club Co-founder of Broken Social Scene discusses his new album Iain Sherriff-Scott Contributor
Photos of student art on display at the Reveal exhibit.
UNION GALLERY
PHOTO BY SEBASTIEN MOLGAT
Review: Reveal exhibit showcases artists’ identities
Union Gallery showcase a mix of the powerful and confusing Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy Staff Writer When artists reveal what they think about themselves, interesting art comes out of it. Reveal, a juried exhibition at Union Gallery, features work from 13 student artists at Queen’s. The theme — Reveal — asks artists to “explore what influences or determines sense of self, and the socially and culturally constructed nature of identity.” The project also seeks to explore social constructs like gender, race, and religion, and how they affect one’s sense of self. When it comes to art, I admire works that are expressive and personal. June Barrage’s, ArtSci ’17, two-part series entitled Uncovered was just that. The almost-abstract print installation and oil paintings explored the artist’s struggle to fit Islam into her life, a life that, as she put it, is lived “in a modern way that does not fit into the scope of Islam.” With broad strokes and a minimalist palette, both of Barrage’s works forced me to look for patterns to make sense of her work — but when I found them, her voice rang clear. While some pieces had a personal touch to them, others were politically charged. Karen Law’s, ArtSci ’20, Self Portrait as a Yellow Person “aims to represent the means
by which [her] ongoing struggle with cultural identity is impacted by societal pressures on diasporic communities.” Given how often race, refugees and identity appear in my conversations, Law’s pointed statement about how these all affect her life resonated with me. Her reclaiming of the word “yellow” to describe East Asian people even as she was commenting on the stereotype was powerfully done. Her work was strikingly represented in her colour palette; her portrait was almost entirely made up of shades of yellow against a blue background. Other pieces I came across, I simply didn’t understand. Craig Berggold’s, PhD, 21st Century Dreaming Crisis was an overblown black and white print of stills of himself holding signs of the title of the piece. To someone like me who likes art but is often confused by it, the piece was interesting, but not a standout part of the exhibit. Despite its disparate artists, the show was cohesively brought together by its theme. There were a variety of pieces made using a variety of techniques and mediums and yet it all worked together. Part of it is the space — the Union Gallery is a gorgeous venue. But part of it was just how clearly the artists’ voices were expressed through their own art.
Hot off his third solo album, Brendan Canning lit up The Grad Club last Friday night with an eclectic set of cool rhythms and smooth vocals. Performing with his seven-piece band, Canning played new releases like, ‘Book it to Fresno’, ‘Hey Marika’, and ‘Vibration Walls’ from his fresh studio album, Home Wrecking Years. Canning is the co-founder of the Toronto indie music collective, Broken Social Scene. After parting ways in 2011, Broken Social Scene is staging a comeback with the release of a new album expected next year. Canning sat down before his performance, clad in a beanie and signature large-framed glasses, to discuss the Broken Social Scene reunion and his song writing process for his new solo album. “A couple of tunes started out acoustic, but generally for example, ‘Book it to Fresno’— that’s written with the band. ‘Hey Marika’, I think I was playing those chords with Social Scene,” Canning said. With widespread anticipation over the upcoming Broken Social Scene album, Canning discussed the origins of the band that he founded with his friend and fellow musician Kevin Drew in 1999. “Kevin and I got together, he had a crew of people, I had a crew of people, some of that crew knew each other, it was just good timing. I was finished with the other musical stuff I was doing,” Canning said. Drew had put together a group of
musicians including Charles Spearin, Emily Haines and James Shaw from Metric and Evan Cranley and Amy Millan from Stars, Canning said. “He had this whole thing going on and I wanted to be a part of it.” Canning released his first solo album, Something for All of Us, in 2008, assisted in the effort by Broken Social Scene bandmates. Being part of such a large band, Canning felt that it was something he had to do. “I guess it was kind of a necessary thing when you are in a band like Broken Social Scene. You don’t get your way all the time because you’ve got a lot of cooks in the kitchen,” Canning said reminiscing. “Kevin was working on his solo record at the time and it just seemed that I needed to do something on my own.” This fall marks the 15-year anniversary of Broken Social Scene’s debut album Feel Good Lost. The album was re-mastered and released again under Canning’s record label Arts & Crafts. “It points some direction at the band’s re-launching and sheds some light on some older works that maybe lots of new people have missed,” Canning said. “We’re most known for one record essentially. The average music fan might know, ‘Anthems For A Seventeen-YearOld Girl’; ‘Lover’s Spit’, ‘Cause=Time’, or ‘Shoreline 7/4’, because we had these big indie songs from one record. But not too many people know Feel Good Lost, and its a different trip.”
Co-founder of Broken Social Scene, Brendan Canning at the Grad Club on Nov. 18.
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
10 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 25, 2016
SPORTS
PHOTO BY AMANDA NORRIS
Emily Hazlett (left) and Marianne Alarie (middle) celebrate against Laurier on Friday. Alarie scored 39 points over the weekend in the Gaels two wins.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Gaels improve national ranking with 93-63 win over Waterloo Marianne Alarie leads with 17 points on Get REAL Day Brittany Almeida Contributor In front of a pink-clad crowd, the women’s basketball team continued their win streak last weekend with their fourth consecutive victory since opening their regular season. The 93-63 win for Queen’s comes as the first defeat for Waterloo this season, and saw Queen’s national rank jump a spot to number six in Canada. Adding to the excitement of Saturday’s win, the Varsity Leadership Council teamed up with Get REAL to host the Gaels game of the week. Get REAL is a student
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
group devoted to eliminating LGBTQ+ discrimination and raising awareness of the impact of homophobic and transphobic language on campus. Courtside, the contest featured a Get REAL information booth, trivia and pink Get REAL merchandise for fans. With the Queen’s community coming together to support both Get REAL and the Gaels, Queen’s brought their strongest performance of the young season. Against Waterloo, a stacked Gaels offence wasted no time in the first frame of play. Fifth-year guard Emily Hazlett boosted the intensity early on in the quarter, with a steal that saw her relentlessly driving down the court for a basket. Queen’s continued to look strong offensively, posting a 43-22 scoreline by the end of the half with an impressive 50 per cent
field goal success lead by Marianne Alarie who scored 12 of her game-high 17 points. Beginning the third quarter, Waterloo tested the Gaels with a few baskets in the opening minutes of play. “Our biggest struggle today was a few missteps on defence,” said fifth-year player Robyn Pearson. “I think we could have communicated better, but it’s still very early and I think that we took the right steps towards during the game to improve that.” Contributions from all over the court saw the Gaels regroup and continue to push their lead into the fourth quarter. Queen’s was able to force 17 turnovers as a team, accumulating 23 points off turnovers and 14 assists. “We worked really well as
a team today,” said Hazlett. “Everyone was able to contribute and get on the board which is something that we look for with all of our players. We had really great composure and played well as a whole unit.” Queen’s came into the last quarter up 70-40, and retained the 30-point gap for the last 10 minutes of the play, winning 93-63. A team filled with depth, all 12 players on the Gaels roster made an appearance on the court in the final quarter. Of their 93 points, 44 came from the bench. “I think that today against Waterloo we played really well as a unit,” said Pearson. “We are so deep in that we can play all 12 of our players, and that really showed as everyone scored and rebounded today.” Finishing just shy of a
double-double, second-year post Veronika Lavergne accompanied her nine points with nine rebounds. Double-digit point contributors for the Gaels included Alarie with 17, Hazlett with 11, and Andrea Priamo and Bridget Mulholland rounding up the scoring with 10 apiece. Next on the agenda, the Gaels will make the trek to Thunder Bay to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves this Friday. Quietly confident, seasoned veteran Robyn Pearson is not taking the matchup lightly by any means. “Next weekend is a tough matchup against Lakehead in Thunder Bay, and we will definitely have to execute on all cylinders,” said Pearson. “Decreasing our turnovers will be key to winning that one.”
Streak snapped in overtime
Claire McKellar is the difference in the Gaels win Matt Scace Staff Writer With the women’s hockey team and Windsor separated by one point in division standings going into their game last weekend, both sides knew the game would be tight. In the end, Queen’s prevailed in dramatic overtime fashion by a score of 3-2. The two teams now share the eighth spot in the OUA standings. Though it’s just halfway through a long and gruelling 24 game season, the atmosphere gave this match up the feel of the OUA playoffs. In the midst of a three-game losing streak, the
Gaels bounced back with strong performances from forward Addi Halladay and goaltender Stephanie Pascal, while Clare McKellar sealed the game in overtime. Here are The Journal’s takeaways from the Gaels thrilling overtime victory. Halladay continues hot streak
On Saturday, Addi Halladay showed just how valuable she has been to the team this season. In the second period, just six seconds after the Lancers scored, Halladay took a centre ice face-off and within a blink of an
Danelle Bishoff putting a shot on net against Windsor.
eye, had the puck in the back of the net. In the third, with the Gaels down 2-1 and just under five minutes to play, Halladay rifled a shot that went bar-down, tying the game 2-2. Halladay also added an assist on McKellar’s overtime winner. “I think the game is fun for her in the last month or so,” said
head coach Matt Holmberg. “She’s shooting with a purpose and with a shot like that, it’s a good thing to happen.” Halladay’s three-point night extended her season point total to nine and puts her tied in third in the OUA with six goals. Gaels take advantage of single game weekend
PHOTO BY AMANDA NORRIS
Rather than their regular two game scheduled weekends, Queen’s played in just the lone game. Instead of playing with little rest due to the back-to-back weekend, the team was allowed more time to train and relax. For head coach Matt Holmberg, having the one-game weekend brought a renewed energy to See Season on page 12
Sports
Friday, November 25, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 11
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Gaels defend home court against Waterloo Warriors Top takeaways from 78-59 victory Sarah O’Flaherty Assistant Sports Editor Saturday afternoon, Queen’s fans packed the home stands in the ARC to watch the Gaels take on the Warriors on their home court. Below are The Journal’s two takeaways from the game. Trio of Singh, Ibrahim and Graham lead the Gaels
For the last four years, Sukhpreet Singh has been a leader for Queen’s — Saturday was no different. In the first quarter he got his team off to an early 25-13 lead, quickly scoring seven points on two three-pointers and a made free throw. Throughout the remainder of the game, Singh picked up an additional five points, putting his career total at 1,126 — good for fourth in Gaels history. While Singh led the Gaels in the first quarter, it was local power forward Tanner Graham that took over in the second frame. Graham scored eight points in the second quarter, and closed out the half with a one handed put-back dunk, much to the crowd’s delight. On the night, Graham was the only player to register a double-double, with 16
points and 16 rebounds. Isse Ibrahim, a transfer from Canadore College, has had a strong start to his career at Queen’s. Playing as a shooting guard, Ibrahim has shot an efficient 56 per cent from the field, with Saturday being no different. He scored 12 points throughout the game, and worked well with Graham and Singh to create scoring opportunities throughout the game. The Warriors’ defense was no match against the dynamic gameplay between Singh, Graham and Ibrahim. The three were consistent forces throughout the game and refused to let up until the final whistle blew. Gaels’ defense kept the Warriors away — for the most part
The Warriors had a markedly difficult time in the Gaels’ end throughout the game, with the exception of a fleeting comeback attempt in the third quarter. The Warriors’ shooting was unimpressive throughout the game, shooting under 50 per cent on free throws and going 1-18 from the three-point line. While the Warriors were far
PHOTO BY AMANDA NORRIS
Point-guard Sammy Ayisi drives past a Laurier defender on Friday night.
behind the Gaels for the majority of the game, they had a short-lived comeback attempt in the third quarter. The Gaels had managed to maintain a strong double-digit lead throughout the first half of the game, which the Warriors contested in the third quarter. After the halftime break, the Warriors came out with intensity, going on a quick 10-2 run to start the third quarter, cutting the gap between the teams to just nine points.
YOUTH SPORT
With the game getting closer, Queen’s defense brought the pressure. In the second half, Queen’s recorded two steals. Twin brothers Jesse and Tanner Graham, and Ross Vrana-Godwin registering a collective five blocks in the second half. By stopping the Warriors at the rim, the Gaels consistently eliminated scoring opportunities. Although they had a strong run in the third quarter, on the whole Queen’s had a strong
defensive effort. In the second half, Waterloo shot 29 per cent from the field, giving Queen’s a lot of opportunities to extend their lead. This poor shooting by Waterloo resulted in a strong 78-59 finish for the Gaels. Queen’s will head to Thunder Bay for their lone game of the weekend, playing against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday.
Queen’s professor research hits the hardwood Dr. Jean Côté helps create youth guidelines for NBA and USA Basketball
Joseph Cattana Sports Editor It’s often believed that to be a successful athlete, you need to specialize early. But for every Tiger Woods, there are more stories of young athletes who burn out too early, leaving sport completely. To combat this trend and keep kids playing, Director of the School of Kinesology and Health Studies and Queen’s professor Dr. Jean Côté’s research on the risk of sport specialization amongst young people has gained traction. After working with major brands like the International Olympic Committee and the English Football Association, Dr. Côté’s research reached another international corporation — the NBA. Cote worked with the NBA’s Health and Wellness team to discuss the different guidelines and literature pertaining to the negative effects of early specialization. After six months, Dr. Côté helped to develop the first-ever youth basketball guidelines for the NBA and USA Basketball Youth Basketball Working Group. In their most recent study, Côté and the rest of the Health and Wellness team advised athletes to
delay single-sport specialization until at least 14 years old, and observe the results. “The kids peak too early, and become very good at nine, 10 and 11 years old but they drop out,” he said. “If we want to develop better athletes, we need to go a little bit slower and give them an opportunity to experiment different sport and experience fun and they make the decision by themselves of what they want.”
According to his research, athletes that reach the highest level of achievement are more likely to have played multiple sports at a young age and delayed specialization until late adolescence. At its core, Dr. Côté hopes to educate on two fronts — sample before you specialize, and play before you practice. “I think when kids drop out, it’s very often that they feel the pressure of adults pushing them
Director Dr. Jean Côté has devoted his research to the field of sports psychology.
to do something that they don’t want,” he said. “At the beginning it is fun, but later there is an entrapment and there is pressure.” And while many kids aspire to the professional level, Dr. Côté believes that major brands don’t do enough to keep kids interested. “Looking at these organizations, they are struggling in terms of guidelines, because kids drop out of sport, but there is research behind keeping kids in sports, and we need to act on them and put
PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN
them out there.” In the NBA, this is apparent. Both Stephen Curry and Lebron James — two of the game’s best players — played multiple sports in high school. While he considers his recent achievements a highlight for the year, basketball isn’t Côté’s favourite sport. He grew up a fan of hockey and the Montreal Canadians. But for Dr. Côté, sport of any kind is an important teaching tool for society and life. “It is a micro-environment for life,” Côté said. “You learn to lose, to win, to be with others, and respond to authority and keep score — all these things, it’s life.” Over the course of his career, Dr. Côté’s research has come full circle. After focusing on coaching, he moved into the impact of parents and peers on youth athletes. Now focusing on the development of athletes, Dr. Côté wants to create a better environment for kids. “We shouldn’t be focusing on the one percent of kids that make it professional. We should organize our youth sport system so that everyone can enjoy the rewards of doing sport, moving and physical activity, and then that one percent will happen.”
Sports
12 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 25, 2016
Season far from over Continued from page 10
SUPPLIED BY QUEEN’S WATER POLO
Hendrick Fang, in action for the men’s water polo team.
MEN’S WATER POLO
Sights set on podium finish at home Queen’s prepares to host OUA Championships this weekend Sarah O’Flaherty Assistant Sports Editor When captain Ian Pinchin joined the men’s water polo team during his first year at Queen’s in 2010, he didn’t expect to have a six-year run with the team. However, after finishing his undergraduate degree, Pinchin decided to stay at Queen’s for his Master’s degree and continued to play for the team he’s spent more than half a decade with. This Friday, the Gaels will host the 2016 Men’s OUA Water Polo Championships at home, and the tournament will mark the end of Pinchin’s career with the Gaels. For their season, Queen’s has spent a long time adjusting to the physicality and speed of the OUA game. At the Queen’s Invitational Tournament hosted in October, the team placed fifth. “We would have liked to come away with a few others but overall we are a much better team now than we were at the start of the season and we feel good going into
the weekend,” Pinchin said. At the upcoming championship, all six teams in the OUA have qualified, with Queen’s seeded fifth. Toronto and Carleton have received first-round byes, but a win against Ottawa in their first round, quarter-final will secure a position for Queen’s in the final four. Going into the tournament, Pinchin knows that for Queen’s to have a shot at the podium, they will need to beat McMaster. McMaster is one of the top teams in the league, and as such, has consistently produced difficult matches for the Gaels. “They’re always really solid and they have some good players. They’re around the same level as us but they’ve been able to close games better than us,” Pinchin said. Pinchin hopes for a Queen’s victory, but with a team as tough as McMaster, it isn’t guaranteed. “For the past few seasons, we just haven’t beaten them. We’ve had some really good games and
some close games, but they’ve for whatever reason been able to close out against us better than we have against them.” However, Pinchin is still wary of the dangers of looking past the team’s initial competition in the tournament. “Our quarter-final game is against Ottawa U and we don’t really know what they’re like,” he said. The team’s game plan for their first match, and subsequently the rest of the tournament, centres on simplicity. “We want a game plan that suits our game, so we’re really working on forcing the defense into positions that are suitable for us,” Pinchin said. “Water polo is a pretty simple game, and we just want to keep practicing what we’re doing so that we can be in a position where we dictate the game.” Pinchin says the Gaels have a strong team for the tournament this year, due in part to the depth of the roster and the members’ chemistry with one another.
A strong defense and strategic power plays will be key in a Gaels victory this weekend. “Our defense has been really good at times throughout the season. We usually find a way to put the ball in the net, it just sort of happens, but we play our best when our defense is really clicking and everyone’s in tune,” Pinchin said. Pinchin sees consistency as a weakness that the team must address going into the tournament. “We’ve had quarters where we’ve been beating the best team in the league, we’ve had quarters where we’ve blown leads, we’ve had quarters were we’ve come back,” Pinchin said. “It’s really about not having a slow start and just playing a focused four quarters and not letting our guard down. If we can string together four quarters, we’ll be successful,” Pinchin said. The OUA Championship begins Friday, November 25 and runs until Sunday, November 27.
the team. “That was as consistent of a 60 minutes that we’ve played all year,” he said. “For example, last weekend we played a heck of a great first period but in the second and third we didn’t show up but I thought today it was fairly consistent from start to finish.” While this had a clear positive impact on the Gaels, Holmberg was sure to note that this was not an ordinary weekend. For the team to be successful in both the OUA and U Sports National Championship, they will need to be able to compete in the conventional two-game weekend. Looking ahead
The Gaels head to Toronto this weekend to play the U of T Varsity Blues in their final game of the first half of the season. Queen’s will have a significant break to allow the players to prepare for exams, but their season is far from over. The team is given an off-ice program while they spend Christmas at home, and soon after the Gaels will start the second half of the season in what is expected to be a highly contentious game against Nipissing.
PHOTO BY AMANDA NORRIS
Friday, November 25, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 13
LIFESTYLE CULTURE
Diwali lights up Grant Hall Diwali Formal is a bright spot on November calendar
Attendees fill up Grant Hall during Queen’s clubs celebration of the festival.
Ashley Rhamey Assistant Lifestyle Editor Walking into Grant Hall, I entered a completely different atmosphere than the bitter snowstorm raging outside. The already colorful Grant Hall was warm, dressed up with balloons, curtains, round tables and floral centerpieces. Guests mingled around tables wearing sarees, lehengas and semiformal wear in every color I could imagine. The Queen’s Indian Student’s Association (QISA), Queens South Asian Association, Queen’s Tamil Students Association and the Queen’s Pakistani Students Association all came together on Nov. 20 to hold the 2016 Diwali Formal. The night promised dance performances, Bollywood music and delicious food. Luckily, I was able to snag a ticket before they sold out. The annual Festival of Diwali took place over a span of five days in late October, almost a month before the formal. The purpose of holding a Diwali formal was that of any other: to dress up, eat good food and spend time with friends.
Diwali is a time “to remind ourselves that darkness will always be overcome by light, that evil will always be overcome by good,” Anisha Jain, vice-president of QISA and one of the organizers of the event explained. While Diwali is celebrated by many South Asians, every family celebrates differently, she said. “Diwali, the festival of lights, is a very important time in the year for not only me and my family, but for many Jains, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists,” Jain said. “It is a f ive - d ay long festival, however each family has their own traditions. The tradition my parents have kept for many years now is hosting a Diwali pooja (prayer) and party at our house. On the third day of the festival all of our family and friends come over dressed in their best Indian attire and we spend the whole night
Dancers from Queen’s Diwali formal.
mingling, eating Indian sweets and setting off fireworks.” While Grant Hall couldn’t accommodate fireworks, the hall lit up without them through string lights, bright clothes and glittering jewelry. The sold out event had no shortage of entertainment. Grant Hall’s stage was utilized for a series of dances performed by dance teams from the organizing clubs. Dancers incorporated Disney tracks and Bollywood music into their performances, winning laughs and applause as they displayed impressively-synchronized moves. As soon as one group of performers left the stage, another replaced them while they changed into new costumes and resumed in almost non-stop arrangements. The Facebook page called for “South Asian dress” or semi-formal wear, something I was apprehensive about before
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN SMITH
going to the formal. My friend who also went to the formal offered to let me borrow a shalwar khameez to wear. I felt nervous about accepting, unsure of whether it was inappropriate for me, a white person, to show up at a South Asian cultural event in an outfit belonging to a different culture. My friend assured me that I wasn’t in danger of being insensitive: she had invited me to wear her clothes, taught me the correct way of wearing them, and we were about to go to an event where wearing them was appropriate. Indeed, sarees, dresses, lehengas and suits were worn by everyone attending the formal, South Asian or otherwise. No one batted an eye at my outfit, as I gobbled down the sweet gulab jamun, savory samosas, mint chutney, and plenty of other delicious food along with everyone else. The light-hearted formal culminated in an energetic open dance floor, and brought out a seemingly permanent smile from all of its attendees, even in spite of the winter’s first bleak snowstorm.
WORLD NEWS
In case you missed it… Clayton Tomlinson Staff Writer NOV 7: THE WORLD LOSES LEONARD COHEN Leonard Cohen died in his sleep earlier this month. The hugely influential Québécois musician, writer and artist whose work spanned 50 years passed away at 82. NOV 16: THERE’S A NEW BIRD IN TOWN
Protests against the Dakota Acess Pipeline.
VIA FLICKR
Move over Canada goose, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society has recommended the grey jay as Canada’s official bird. Also known as the whisky jack, the bird was already Labrador’s official bird. The Society plans to lobby the government to adopt the bird for the 150th
anniversary next year.
NOV 20: POPE GRANTS PERMISSION FOR PRIESTS TO FORGIVE ABORTION
Pope Francis has declared that priests can now absolve faithful Catholics of abortion as a part of the Holy Year of Mercy, which began last year on December 8. He extended this ability to all the priests in the church indefinitely. The Pope stated that abortion is still considered to be a “grave sin” by the Church, but it can now be absolved by priests, as opposed to previously only bishops or special confessors. NOV 21: SOAKED PROTESTORS AT STANDING ROCK
Police used water cannons against
protesters at Standing Rock in North Dakota. Demonstrators were blasted with water in below-freezing weather while protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, which they say will destroy local sacred sites, water supplies and threaten the livelihoods of the local population. NOV 21: SHOWCASING SPACE
NASA has released beautiful new images, taken by the Dawn Spacecraft, showing the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres like it’s never been seen before. Ceres is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and features many bright spots along its surface which scientists believe to be salt deposits.
LIFESTYLE
14 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 25, 2016
THE LIFE OF BRYAN
ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN CUYPERS
SUDOKU SEXUALITY
S&M: Between a rock and a hard place “Hi S&M, I have a problem that I can’t get my mind off of. I’ve been with my boyfriend for a year now — let’s call him John — and I’m absolutely certain he’s the person I want to end up with. We’re completely compatible, I love everything about him, he treats me like a princess, my friends and family adore him and I can see every part of our future as being perfect. I’m so lucky to have him. However, I’ve never in my life had a real chance to be single. I’ve had small windows between long term boyfriends, but nothing major, and sometimes I just have a desire to experience being unattached. And then there’s this guy — let’s call him Ben — he’s a good friend of mine that I hooked up with before I started dating my current boyfriend (in that small window). We never got a chance to have sex, but we fooled around and we had great chemistry. Over the past year that I’ve been with John, that feeling between Ben and I hasn’t completely faded, for either of us. Our friends all openly talk about the fact that there’s definitely something noticeable there between us. However, Ben is the opposite of a relationship guy, and to be honest I would never want to date him, I have no feelings for him. What’s between us is purely sexual attraction, but it’s gone on for SO long without fading and its now at the point that I can’t ignore it. I sometimes think if I go my whole life without finding out what it’s like to hook up with Ben I’ll regret it deeply. Also, I feel like I’m lying to both myself and John by pushing down my attraction for Ben. BUT I can’t stand the thought of losing John when I know for sure that he’s perfect for me. I’ve thought about maybe asking John to take a break in which I could explore being single, but I know that would hurt him and is ultimately very selfish, because I would essentially be asking to sleep with other guys for a while and then get back together with him in the end. To sum up, I don’t know how to get closure on the unbearable sexual tension between Ben and I without losing John forever. HELP!” —Between a Rock and a Hard Place Dear Between,
It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this situation, but you’ve neglected to focus on the most important person involved here — yourself. When it comes to relationships, sometimes the most important thing you can be is selfish because you’re the only one who has your back. It’s time to gain a little clarity. People can be perfect on paper or in the future, but still not be perfect for you right now. Remember, there’s no stopwatch on your “happily ever after;” you aren’t meant
to have all the answers at a young age, so don’t put so much pressure on yourself! It seems to us that if you are thinking about other men or considering singledom, that says something about how you feel about the relationship you’re in. If you want to be with someone other than your boyfriend, acknowledge that the relationship isn’t as perfect as you think and it either needs commitment or an end. You’re also not a bad person for feeling the way you do. If you really care about your boyfriend’s feelings, honesty is key. Talk to him and let him know how you feel. Either you can solve it together or you can’t, but at least you won’t be wondering anymore. To be honest, your question has been difficult for us to answer, so we understand how difficult this must be for you. What you do really depends on where your heart lies. Take some time and really think about what you want, other people’s feelings aside. If you truly think that what’s best for you is being with your boyfriend, then stay with him and put your feelings for Ben in the past. But if you think that taking time away and seeing other guys, like Ben, is better for you, then do that! Maybe this is idealistic of us, but when something is right with someone, you just know. There isn’t a question in your mind. We personally think that it’s better to be happy on your own than feel conflicted in a relationship. Finally, remember that you should do what’s best for you. It might feel difficult in the moment — either way you’re letting someone go — but it will be worth it in the long run. And remember, like Miley and Liam have shown pop culture, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be. Go forth with your best interests at heart. Like you, we’re still figuring things out as we go so let us know how you’re doing! We’ll be cheering for you from here, baby! — S&M ;)
P.S. Maybe check out the movie How to be Single. It’s truly our favourite flick.
Email us your questions at sandmqueensjournal@ gmail.com
LIFESTYLE
Friday, November 25, 2016
queensjournal.ca
• 15
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Inside the CFRC radio room.
POSTSCRIPT
From behind the soundboard in Carruthers Hall CFRC radio station giving students a voice
Ronen Goldfarb Staff Writer When I was in the sixth grade my school held one of those fundraisers where you go door to door with a UNICEF-esque box to collect money for the Canadian Cancer Society. Honestly, I don’t even remember if it was the Cancer Society. I wish I could say that I don’t remember because I was just so altruistic that the cause was totally irrelevant to me, but that wasn’t the case. To be fair, I was eleven years old and philanthropy was still a pretty foreign concept, but I managed to go out and collect over 200 dollars, the most anyone collected in my class. This was a contest you see, and I had won. I was going to be on the radio.
I get to play all the “music I love for a solid
45 minutes while talking about whatever I care to for the rest of the hour.
”
A couple weeks earlier our grade was seated in an assembly and promised that whoever managed to collect the most money from each grade six class would get to go on the local radio station and discuss it. We were also promised pizza at the station. Between the promise of fame and the pizza something lit a fire within me, after all, the only thing I love more than myself is pizza. So, over the next week I set out to mooch and cajole as much money
from all the neighbours, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that I could. When I had finally won the contest and the promise of instant fame seemed imminent I got to the radio station. I was all dressed up, my mother insisted I look nice for the radio, and ready to shine. The DJs introduced me, and, suddenly, I froze. I think I may have uttered a brief “Hello”. That was it. My hard work had been for nothing I would never be famous now and all I had done was raise a couple hundred dollars that would go towards research and innovation in the field of studying cancer. What a waste. Fast forward about a decade and here I am. I think that I’m maybe a little less self-involved, although, evidently, I do still love to hear the sound of my voice. Every Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. I host a radio show on CFRC called Chewing the Phat. The show plays hip-hop, soul, funk, and jazz, and also comprises of a solid fifteen to twenty minutes of talking about anything, from the latest Meek Mill beef, to arguing over the best deli in Toronto. I started the show about a year ago with my friend, who since graduating in the spring, has left me to star on it alone. I find the show to be a great outlet. I get to play all the music I love for a solid forty-five minutes while talking about whatever I care to for the rest of the hour. And it’s a pretty cool phenomenon. CFRC doesn’t know how many people are tuning into your show at any given hour, they only know
how many people listen a week. So you’re left in this weird middle ground, where you could be broadcasting your conversation about the best deli in Toronto to thousands of people or to no one; I tend to hope it’s the former, but often suspect it may be the latter.
There’s a really cool “ aspect to radio because it forces you to actually stop and process what you’re listening to.
”
Aside from bad sports commentary, pop-culture, and music news, I can talk about whatever I feel like talking about in that moment with who knows how many people listening. The whole thing feels kind of therapeutic. For an hour a week there’s no thinking about schoolwork or whatever else might be weighing me down, it’s just me and the microphone. The station itself is also phenomenal. It’s just a bunch of people who really love radio
working together to make a really great product. I know radio isn’t the medium that it used to be, but I’m really optimistic. I’ve recently gotten into listening to podcasts, and when a story can totally captivate you through sound and sound alone, then I think that’s a really special thing. I know that at times what I’m doing is self-indulgent, but I think it can be genuinely interesting to listen to a couple of guys sitting around for an hour playing music they love and chewing the fat (pun intended). There’s a really cool aspect to radio because it forces you to actually stop and process what you’re listening to. You’re not inundated with sensory data the same way you are when interacting with television or the computer. You have to stop and process what you’re taking in. I truly believe community radio is still very important. If you look at our show, for example, I think we play some really great music. Hip-hop is already a highly underrepresented musical genre in
the mainstream media, so by often times playing underrepresented artists you almost feel like you get to do something for them in return. We’ve had local Toronto artists reach out to us and ask us to play them on our show. Sometimes it’s an artist you already know and love. Sure we sometimes play Kanye, and Drake, and Lil Wayne, but who doesn’t love that every now and then. And of course, our show isn’t the only one on the station, there are shows that play exclusively poetry and shows that only play folk. There are news shows, and shows focused on Indigenous artists. I think the reason I love community radio is because it’s like this weird mosaic of people: some of us love bluegrass and some love indie-rock, some love metal and some love house. But regardless of what you love, there’s a place for you here, you’re not confined to your own little niche corner of the Internet to listen to whatever you want to, it’s all right here, you just need to tune in.
JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
16 •queensjournal.ca
Friday, November 25, 2016
The Queen's Journal
