The Queen's Journal, Issue 17

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F r i d ay , O c t o b e r 2 8 , 2 0 11 — I s s u e 1 7

the journal Queen’s University — Since 1873

administration

Senate decides to keep GPA system B y C atherine O wsik Assistant News Editor Queen’s Senator Jordan Morelli wants the University to rethink its grading structure. At Monday’s Senate meeting, Morelli proposed a new grading system whereby students would receive both a percentage and

letter grade instead of a grade point average (GPA.) The motion failed, winning only two votes of support and two abstentions. Morelli, an assistant professor in the department of physics, engineering physics and astronomy, said the GPA system is disadvantaging upper-year

students. Once translated from a per cent average to the GPA system, students’ averages are lower than they should be, Morelli said. “Whether this passes or not I suggest we do need a strategy to remediate the negative effect we have had on our students,” Morelli told Senate. “Thirty per cent of our

[fourth-year engineering physics] students are in the category where they’re at risk of having their GPAs put them below the dean’s list, whereas their cumulative averages before would’ve put them over the dean’s list,” Morelli told the Journal. The honours dean’s list cut-off is See Plans on page 6

News

Electric truck joins Queen’s Parking department. page 4

Francis wins

ASUS Elections

Inside

Features

E-ballots re-sent B y K atherine Fernandez -B lance News Editor

Headstone resurfaces in Skeleton Park.

Electronic ballots for the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society’s (ASUS) fall election were re-sent to students after a system error. The original voting went from Oct. 25 to 26, and Arts and Science students could cast votes for the society’s senators and representatives to the AMS. A vote was also held for a representative of the class of 2015. There was also a vote for an international student representative, if voters were international. On Tuesday morning, some students received multiple ballots in their webmail inboxes, while others were given user names that Nick Francis, ArtSci ’13, celebrates Wednesday night after being elected Queen’s 33rd rector.

Dialogue

See No on page 7

Page 3

Examining problems with the Engineering program at Queen’s. Page 9

Arts Photo by Corey lablans

Francis won 52 per cent of the vote in the third round of preferential voting. See page 2 for full story.

Student life

Beer company gives out pumpkins James Ready continues campus advertising campaign with Halloween giveaway B y S avoula S tylianou Assistant News Editor An on-campus pumpkin giveaway, was held by beer company James Ready yesterday. A sign posted on a telephone pole on University Avenue read “Barter 1 beer cap for 1 pumpkin.” According to James Ready’s campus diplomats, this was an advertising mistake. Diplomat Jared Huras said he didn’t expect anything in exchange for the pumpkins. “The pumpkins were totally free. You didn’t need to have a beer cap, that was just a mess up,” Huras, Sci ’13, said. The company also held another promotional event on Wednesday, promising one free coffee in exchange for a James Ready bottle cap. “We did an event called ‘Barter caps for coffee’ and we thought that free coffee would make students study harder,” Huras said.

The pumpkin giveaway is part of a year-long campaign on campus that includes James Ready lawn signs in Student Ghetto houses. Pumpkins for the free event, held at the corner of University

Avenue and Earl Street, were supplied by a farmer from Port Hope who drove in 130 pumpkins for the company. Huras added that there’s also a Facebook competition run out of

the JR Helping Queen’s Facebook group, and James Ready staff will determine the winner of the best pumpkin carving. “If you carve it and post a

Lawsuit filed against Queen’s A September court ruling against Loyalist College has led to a lawsuit against Queen’s. Last month, an Ontario judge ruled that Loyalist College give monetary compensation to approximately 70 students who studied nursing starting in 1997 and 98. According to December 2002 court records, two Loyalist nursing

students from different years of study each filed a class-action suit against the college. The records for the case Hickey-Button v. Loyalist College of Applied Arts & Technology stated the college had allegedly promised nursing students the chance to obtain a nursing degree on Loyalist campus by taking courses from both the college and Queen’s over a four-year period. This was not a program offered at Queen’s, and consequently, the students were unable to complete

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Sports

See Other on page 7

Administration

B y K atherine Fernandez -B lance News Editor

PS I Love You returns to Kingston to work on their upcoming album.

their degrees in the allocated period of time. Yesterday, the Whig Standard reported that Loyalist College claims Queen’s unilaterally withdrew from the partnership that would have allowed the nursing students to be granted degrees. Loyalist has filed a lawsuit against Queen’s. Officials from both institutions declined to comment on the case because it is currently before the courts.

A sit-down with the five men’s volleyball veterans. Page 15

Postscript

A look at six costume ideas for Halloween. page 20


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