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the
Queen’s University
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journal
Volume 147, issue 23
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Friday, February 28, 2020
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Situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples.
since 1873
Queen’s second-highest in province for sexual harassment, survey finds R aechel H uizinga News Editor Two years after the Student Voices on Sexual Violence survey was circulated to Ontario university students, the full results were released Thursday morning. According to the data, Queen’s ranked fourth in the province for the prevalence of sexual assault. With 71.4 per cent of Queen’s respondents reporting experiences of sexual harassment, Queen’s was second-highest in Ontario for rates of sexual harassment, falling 0.2 per cent behind the University of Western Ontario. More than 7,000 Queen’s students participated in the 2018 survey. The University was unable to provide an interview to The Journal on the day of the survey’s release, requesting more time to review the results. Initial results from the survey were released last March, a year after the survey’s original launch date. Citing privacy concerns, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) withheld the remaining data until Feb. 27 this year. The MCU didn’t respond to The Journal’s requests for comment in time for publication. The COU said it would make a statement today but hasn’t commented further. The updated report includes gender identity and sexual orientation data of the respondents. 69.3 per cent of survey respondents identified as a woman/girl; 28.9 per cent identified as a man/boy; 1.8 per cent identified as transgender, Two-Spirit, non-binary or gender fluid. The data also reveals that certain groups of students are more vulnerable to sexual violence. However, the report did not reveal demographic information from specific institutions. “Prevalence rates of sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking for women, gender diverse and bisexual students are higher than overall university sector rates as a whole. Student survey participants also experienced different rates of sexual violence based on their racial or ethnic identity,” a COU overview report of the results stated. In its report, the COU cautioned against using the data to compare institutions to each other. “It is not possible to determine if the differences across institutions are due to university demographic See SVSV on page 5
Pressure is mounting on Queen’s administration to reinstate Steve Boyd.
PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON
Queen’s cross country team, threatening exodus over coach’s firing, demands answers In wide-reaching interview, interim provost addresses Steve Boyd’s firing J ack R abb Sports Editor More than half of Queen’s cross country running team could quit if Steve Boyd, the recently-fired head coach, isn’t reinstated, The Journal has learned. Boyd was dismissed on Feb. 19 following complaints filed by Guelph alumni, among others, who took issue with comments made by Boyd under a Facebook post by Guelph track alumni Robyn Mildren, who had written
a statement about her time spent under now-disgraced Guelph University running coach legend Dave Scott-Thomas. In a wide-reaching interview with The Journal, Interim Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Tom Harris said the University has no plans to reinstate him. According to multiple Queen’s runners, as many as half or three-quarters of the cross country team could quit the program in favour of transferring elsewhere or running exclusively on Boyd’s Kingston-based Physi-Kult club team if he isn’t reinstated. Both of his assistants, Steve Weiler and Leslie Sexton, have stepped back from their positions in solidarity as well. Harris said that multiple athletes have already begun the process of transferring to other schools. A petition for Boyd’s reinstatement,
started by the team, had garnered more than 4,100 signatures at the time of publishing, and the cross country team also staged a sit-in at Principal Patrick Deane’s office yesterday. Boyd’s firing happened just two days before the OUA Championships. In interviews with The Journal, runners say the team is in disarray, and they feel that the administration has left them out to dry. According to Miles Brackenbury, several have had to access mental health counselling in the wake of the firing. The complaints over Boyd’s Facebook comments were the final straw for Athletics & Recreation. They had already had a meeting with Boyd on Feb. 3 concerning his online presence on the running forum, Trackie. Athletic Director Leslie Dal Cin had See cross country on page 9
Athletes stage Richardson Hall sit-in to protest Boyd firing Athletes staging sit-in at Richardson Hall Thursday.
S ydney K o Assistant News Editor Eight members of Queen’s cross country team walked into Richardson Hall on Thursday afternoon and asked to meet with Principal Patrick Deane. The student athletes were initiating a sit-in with Deane in response to the recent firing of Queen’s track coach, Steve Boyd.
Deane wasn’t available to speak with them. “We felt ignored and neglected,” Miles Brackenbury, ConEd ’23, said while he stood and waited in the middle of the Principal’s office to speak with a representative. Heather Cole, senior advisor and executive director in the Office of the Principal, led the team to a board room to proceed with
PHOTO BY TESSA WARBURTON
the conversation. During the sit-in, the student athletes questioned whether Deane was aware of the decision made to fire Boyd. “I will say he is aware and has been involved with working closely with the See sit-in on page 5
IN THIS ISSUE: Claiming LGBTQ+ space on campus p. 6, Students shouldn’t purchase high marks p. 7, The Alibi hosts 24-hour concert, p. 11, A cozy playlist for the winter blues p. 15. queensjournal.ca
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