The Queen's Journal, Volume 144, Issue 4

the

Queen’s University

journal

Vol. 144, Issue 4

F r i day , S e p t e m b e r 9 , 2 0 1 6

Postdocs make a plea for equity

Possible strike on the table for postdoctoral scholars if contract bargaining fails

since

1873

Campus service hazing results in students taken to hospital and vandalism AMS executive transparent about responsibility following TAPS social gone wrong Victoria Gibson News Editor

PHOTO BY MORGAN DODSON

President of Queen’s postdoc union, Craig Berggold delivers a box of ramen noodles containing personal messages of protest to Principal Daniel Woolf’s office.

Morgan Dodson Assistant News Editor At 10 a.m. on August 31, a box plastered with Queen’s campaign materials and containing scores of Mr. Noodles packages, were delivered to Principal Daniel Woolf’s office.

Each package contained a message, personally addressed to Woolf himself. “Your luxury is our poverty,” one pack said. “It’s a dry life,” read another, “like the noodle.”

The delivery was part of a campaign by the postdoctoral scholars of Queen’s and the Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 901 (PSAC 901), in an attempt to symbolize their poverty and employment instability.

Postdoctoral scholars, also known as postdocs, are salaried employees who conduct the majority of research done at any given university.

The average salary of a postdoc in Canada is hardly luxurious, checking in at $44,000 per year. Currently, postdocs at Queen’s make even less: earning only $32,000 per year, taxed. These figures were provided to The Journal by the President of the Queen’s postdoc union, Craig Berggold, and the VicePresident of Postdoctoral Scholars, Silja Freitag.

As of June 30 this year, the previous collective agreement for the postdoctoral scholars of Queen’s expired. When in the process of bargaining to renew their contract, Freitag, Berggold, and their

EDITORIALS

respective groups reached an impasse with the University.

The pair explained to The Journal that the postdoc groups have six main goals for the new contract. These goals surround salary, healthcare, childcare benefits, professional development, relocation and housing, and tuition support.

According to figures cited in Statistics Canada, the Queen’s postdoc salaries don’t cover the average living expenses of a household in Ontario. These same expense values are cited on the Queen’s website.

“If you’re making $32,000 per year and you have one child, you are living below the poverty line,” Berggold said. If the University continues to decline the proposed changes to the collective agreement, a strike has been placed on the table as a possibility.

“Nobody wants to strike,” he clarified.

“Postdocs would only withdraw their labour if the employer continues to treat us as second class.”

Postdoc strike information sessions have begun to be held at Queen’s, where the alarming reality has sunk in: they would make more money on strike than they would in their usual jobs.

“The union pays $75 a day for strike. If you make $32,000 here at Queen’s and you divide that by 365, you make $87 a day. And they take your taxes,” Berggold said. A vote is pending on whether strike action will be taken, with a specific date to be determined.

“It’s been a long time since there’s been

Sitting in his office in the AMS bunker on Wednesday morning, Vice President (Operations) Dave Walker held a list in his hands. “I mean, if we’re going to address the elephant in the room, this was disgusting, and it was hazing,” he said.

Walker’s comment comes hard on the heels of a workplace social, organized by the AMS Pub Services known on-campus as TAPS. On the night of Aug. 30, a list of tasks was provided by the managerial staff to freshly-trained student employees, to complete in one hour.

The result was that two students were hospitalized, both for excessive alcohol and one also sustaining injuries to his arm after smashing through an establishment window. As yet, according to the AMS, the establishment owner hasn’t pressed charges, but to Walker, the student in question wasn’t to blame.

“If you fundamentally look at the balance of power that was displayed there, this isn’t a responsibility or blame that should be put on any staff, given that list and what was produced,” Walker said. In his mind, the responsibility for the night largely fell back on him.

“It’s on me to proactively seek these things

a strike at Queen’s University, and I don’t think Principal Woolf wants that on his reputation,” Berggold said.

When approached for comment, Interim Associate Vice-Principal (Faculty Relations), Dan McKeown spoke to the University’s position on the contract negotiation and strike potential. “Bringing in a neutral third party can assist the parties in finding common ground,” he wrote to The Journal via email.

“The University is committed to working with PSAC to conclude a renewal agreement that respects both our employees and the limitations dictated by financial realities.”

Addressing these financial realities, Freitag noted that according to the most recent Sunshine List of salaries in Ontario, “995 employees of Queen’s made over $100,000 last year, and 86 of them made over $200,000.”

For Freitag and Berggold, the See There’s on page 3 discrepancy between the salaries of faculty versus postdocs is concerning. While strike action isn’t a first response, it may be the end result for them, depending on the nature of continuing discussion for the new collective agreement.

“Unless we ask for respect, we won’t get respect,” Berggold said.

“In doing so, we need the support of the whole community as we go forward.”

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

OPINIONS

ARTS

SPORTS

POSTSCRIPT page 15

Credit allotment change was miscommunicated

Is your university watching you on social media?

Queen’s and Kingston talent represented at TIFF 2016

Men’s and women’s soccer teams start the season off strong

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page 10

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Retracing her mother’s steps at Everest Base Camp

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Friday, September 9, 2016

CONFERENCE

Ontario universities urged to do more to combat sexual violence on campus Conference held at Queen’s concludes that schools continue to fail sexual violence survivors

M aureen O’R eilly Assistant News Editor “Nobody listened to what I had to say when I needed it the most,” Mandi Gray, a York University sexual assault survivor, explained to The Journal in August.

Gray — whose 2015 assault lead to a high-profile court case this year, and a guilty verdict for assailant Mustafa Ururyar on July 21 — was on Queen’s campus at the time as a speaker for the Ontario Universities Taking Action Against Sexual Violence (OUTA) conference.

The two-day event was held on August 10 and 11, and emerged as a response to the Government of Ontario’s March 2015 action plan to combat sexual violence and harassment.

The plan urged the need for intervention on Ontario university campuses, due to alarmingly frequent occurrences of sexual assault and the pervasiveness of rape culture across campuses.

While Gray was happy to see individuals mobilizing, connecting, and identifying sexual violence on campus as a systemic issue, she maintained several concerns about the OUTA conference, which she expressed in an interview with The Journal afterwards.

There was a “disconnect”, she felt, between the experience of herself and her fellow sexual assault survivors and what was being discussed by the various speakers at OUTA. “I think a lot of the presenters felt that there’s too much emphasis on response and not enough emphasis on prevention, but in my experience it was the opposite,” Gray said.

Her concerns about sexual violence prevention and response on campuses were noted during the conference’s first-day closing remarks, during which Gray spoke about her own experience.

While newly-released university sexual violence policies — such as Queen’s own, approved in March of this year — use progressive language and define complex terms like consent, Gray still perceives a lack of formal procedure for responding to reported incidences of sexual assault.

On Aug. 10, the same day the conference began, Ottawa’s Metro News obtained and published an independent investigation funded by the Ontario government on the swelling issue of campus sexual violence.

The 56-page research report disclosed the result of over 120 hours of interview data gathered over four months in 2016 at Carleton University, Lakehead University, and the University

of Waterloo.

The report concluded that myths and stereotypes about sexual assault continue to inform responses to reported incidences on campuses. As well, the absence of formal reporting systems was found to result in different units across campus responding without communication with each other.

Survivors were “bounced around” as a result by the systems in place.

Desperate voids in education and training were also identified by the investigators.

In conclusion, the report cited “serious deficits in understanding and responding to victims of sexual violence”, and the insistence that “there is still much work to be done.”

Eighteen distinct recommendations were given to the Ontario government to implement on campuses, including consistent oversight on reporting procedures, a restorative justice program, and implementing a mandatory healthy sexual education program for all university students.

Several students at the OUTA conference have been noted activists on sexual violence for several years, as Queen’s has developed it’s own policy. Among those individuals was former Rector Mike Young, who hoped that the conference’s messages were heard by Queen’s administration.

“There have been comments made about the responsibilities of university administrators to be proactive and dynamic in their leadership towards prevention,” Young told The Journal after day 1 of the conference.

“I hope that message gets through.”

He also urged students to reconsider the way their own behaviour may unknowingly contribute to rape culture on campus.

“Sexual violence isn’t just rape,” he said. “It’s jokes made about the gender presentation and sexuality of other people; it’s objectifying behaviours and remarks; it’s harassment; it’s groping; it’s seeing something problematic and not doing anything.”

In the wake of the conference, Young urged students to “do what you can, and learn what else you can do, to actively break down systems that have existed for generations and that continue to produce violence.”

Gray echoed Young’s messages, hoping that students would add their voices into the conversation until further action is taken by campus administrations.

“If you support the work I’m doing, tell people publicly,” she said. “Tell the university that you are watching.”

Queen’s administration provided free gold t-shirts to the thousands of participants of Tuesday’s event.

PHOTOS BY AUSTON CHHOR

Queen’s spends thousands to break Guinness World Record Costly Q part of marketing for University’s 175th anniversary

B lake C anning Assistant News Editor

According to Craig, many faculties, departments and units across campus are rebranding This Tuesday, the Queen’s class existing events to celebrate the of 2020, alongside alumni, 175th anniversary. It is unclear students, faculty and other as to whether these rebranding volunteers, aided in breaking measures have incurred any extra the Guinness World Record for costs, due to the pre-existing events largest human letter involving the they’ll build on. most people.

The idea for the costly Q came

The Queen’s community gathered in the heat on Tuesday to form the shape of a giant Q on Nixon Field.

Shattering the previous record of 2,166 with a whopping 3,373 participants, Nixon Field became awash with a sea of yellow t-shirts provided on the University’s dollar by the organising committee for Queen’s 175th anniversary celebrations.

“The overall 175th budget is approximately $200,000 over three years” said Queen’s Communication Officer, Anne Craig. For the event, which lasted around two and a half hours, Craig said that the University spent an estimated $9,000 — using up 4.5 per cent of the three-year funding allocation.

The overall 175th budget has spanned 18 months of planning and 18 months of execution, incurring costs such as website development, local advertising, various marketing material such as banners around campus, and a selection of signature events.

when “someone threw out the idea of a Guinness Record” during an executive meeting to discuss different events to kick off the celebrations of the year, according to Yvonne Cooper, director of communications.

A list of expenses incurred for the event included travel costs to bring a Guinness World Record judge to the event, finding the requirements such as measurements and mathematic statistics for the letter, and consulting with architects and engineers about their thoughts on the capacity of Nixon Field.

When asked about the merit of such a spectacle to the University, Marketing Coordinator Janelle MacPherson-Kenney simply said that their motivation was “to do something during frosh week to get the students involved, and get them to know that it is Queen’s 175th anniversary and get them excited

about celebrating that throughout the year.”

MacPherson-Kenney also said that the event was opened up to alumni and Kingston community members, welcoming everyone to participate while hoping to promote team-building while marking the occasion.

Other events, including the launch of a third volume of Queen’s history and a celebration for the anniversary of the signing of the Royal Charter in October, will make further use of the $200,000 budget.

Cooper noted that the largest events will surround Homecoming Weekend and the opening of the new Richardson Stadium.

For incoming students, the record breaking event came with positive testimonials. Erin Moffat, an incoming member of the class of 2020, referenced Queen’s oft-cited reputation for school spirit. explaining that “this is why I came here!”

Other universities have sanctioned Guinness World Record attempts in the current year’s frosh week celebrations, including a time-honoured tradition of recordattempts at Ryerson University.

The most recent attempt at Ryerson aimed to break the largest number of individuals blowing bubbles with chewing gum.

When asked by The Journal, Ryerson Student Life Programs Coordinator Akeisha Lari was unable to provide an exact expense value.

“Our expenses for our Guinness World Record Challenge are encompassed within our total events budget as we buy/rent materials and equipment that are used for multiple events,” Lari wrote in an email.

As well, the featured item was typically sponsored, as was the case with the bubble gum used for this year’s event. “So there is no cost that I can provide associated with that,” she said.

Queen’s Communications Officer Anne Craig, in discussing the significantly increased financial expense for Queen’s own event, maintained that the assembly of the Q was “being managed in a cost effective manner, drawing on volunteer contributions and existing resources.”

News

Friday, September 9, 2016

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CRIME AND SAFETY

Queen’s commits ongoing funding to Kingston Police Money intended for events like Homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day, which drain force resources S hivani G onzalez Features Editor As the school year re-commences, Principal Daniel Woolf has come to an agreement with the Kingston Police to contribute $300,000 to the force over the next three years.

The funding, split into three annual $100,000 lump sums, is intended to continue the school’s commitment to provide monetary support to the local community police department.

At the time of the announcement, Woolf pointed to times over the course of a year when additional police resources are required on campus. The funding was also intended to express appreciation for the efforts of the Kingston Police to ensure safety in the Queen’s community.

Prior to the cancellation of Homecoming in 2009, Queen’s didn’t have a record of contributing financially to the police force, even after the school had been directly asked for one.

According to a recent article in The Kingston Whig-Standard, in 2010 the force spent an estimated $360,000 on unofficial Homecoming events. That year and the year prior, Toronto Police’s mounted unit and riot squad were called into Kingston.

With the re-instating of the formal weekend festivities in 2013, the $100,000 yearly donation was established following consultation with city representatives, students, Kingston Police, Police Services Board, Queen’s alumni and other community members.

The contribution is not only for offsetting the addition resources required at events like

GRAPHIC BY RACHEL LIU

Homecoming and St. Patrick’s Day, but also for outreach and engagement work.

During the Queen’s move-in day this year, the Kingston Police reported total occupation of University Avenue between William and Johnson Streets, from around 10:30 pm to 2:00 am.

During this time, due to the large crowd and broken glass, the supervising sergeant declared the area a safety hazard, with six members of the Emergency Response Unit called to keep the peace.

The following evening, during the same time frame, hundreds of students and party goers took over University Avenue once again again. While Kingston Police were concerned

about blocking potential lanes of travel for emergency services to get to Kingston General Hospital, no incidents were reported of either injury or criminal activity.

Two Queen’s students, both males aged 19

and 20, were arrested for public intoxication, with 38 Liquor License Act tickets issued.

Most tickets were for open alcohol or underage drinking.

‘There’s no excuse for why that list came up,’ says AMS

executive Dave Walker Continued from front

things out,” he said. The TAPS service falls under his portfolio as VP Operations. “We [the AMS executive team] knew these problems persisted. We thought we were doing enough.”

Instructions prompted bingedrinking, pole-stripping at clubs downtown, “chubby bunny” games known to prompt choking, and public nudity.

Walker is firm on his belief that the tasks themselves were unacceptable, regardless of the unfortunate outcome.

“Half of them because of their interpretations, and half because they’re outright subjective and for lack of a better word disgusting,” he said. “There’s no excuse for why that list came up, or why it was created.”

Though Walker took full responsibility, he was only made aware of the list’s existence the following morning, when he was greeted at his office by the TAPS management and director.

After a lengthy conversation about what they were going to do, the immediate consequence was the next TAPS social being switched to a dry movie night in the Underground

venue on campus. wouldn’t apply to work for them.

“This is what this campus, [Fixing] it certainly begins with “We actually cancelled the socials “It’s these examples that perpetuate unfortunately, has been plagued Tyler, Carolyn and I. And it should moving forward for the year, in that that problem,” he said. with a lot. have started a while ago.” all of them have to be put through me if it’s going to be a TAPS event,” he said.

A meeting is set to be held by Walker with all TAPS employees as well as the managerial staff.

“We’re going to be the people that end this pervasive culture that’s existed in some instances within the entire AMS, and in TAPS. This drinking culture, and this culture of having fun versus being responsible or respectful. That’s something that we’re working on,” he said.

While Walker conceded that he would be “a total hypocrite” to tell university students not to drink, his reaction was rooted in the pressure of a supervisor instructing often younger staff members to drink in a way that they may not have been comfortable with.

“In that position of meeting new people and trying to fit in, a lot of people are going to feel uncomfortable,” he said. Newer staff may have checked off items just to feel a part of the team.

He cited long-time barriers that existed in certain AMS services, which often dictated who would and

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Friday, September 9, 2016

FEATURES

To read the full story, go to qjlongform.com

Dec. 2005

Feb. 2005 Shirkhanzadeh sent his first formal allegations of plagiarism to Queen’s administration

Queen’s investigation concluded that no research misconduct had occurred

Eleven years after blowing the whistle A story about research allegations and academic freedom Victoria Gibson and Mikayla Wronko Journal Staff “It’s lonely.”

After eleven years, these were the first two words that Morteza Shirkhanzadeh chose to describe the complex academic and legal case, which has handled serious allegations of research misconduct, violated academic freedom, workplace harassment, and institutional non-compliance, and enveloped the past decade for the Queen’s professor.

The case has had repercussions in the academic sphere internationally, as well as personally. Shirkhanzadeh has faced multiple suspensions and holds to his pay if he didn’t desist from pursuing the case. Now, he faces the possibility of termination.

Sitting in The Journal’s editorial office, with his hands folded in his lap, Shirkhanzadeh took a deep breath and told his story from the beginning.

Oct. 2009 Shirkhanzadeh researched further and published multiple papers on the matter after the University dismissed his initial claims

Jan. 2011 June 2016 For the third time in a year, Shirkhanzadeh was suspended without pay by the University

“Please ensure that you do not defame the University,” Robert Silverman, then-Provost of Queen’s wrote to Shirkhanzadeh

Friday, September 9, 2016

queensjournal.ca

EDITORIALS

•5

The Journal’s Perspective

ASUS student representatives fail to represent students W

hen a cut to outside- with the sole expectation of faculty credit allotment left being a voice for and to students many Arts and Science students — an expectation they failed to with questions during course meet here. enrolment, a transparent answer When asked about the change, from their former student leaders former ASUS President Brandon was noticeably absent.

Jamieson told The Journal that As The Journal reported it wouldn’t substantially limit last month, the number of opportunities for students. “There outside-faculty units permissible are hundreds and hundreds, to be counted towards graduation thousands of courses in Arts and requirements for Arts and Science Science,” he said. students was cut from 24 units to Not all Arts and Science six in April. students will suffer as a result The Arts and Science Faculty of the change or the lack of Board cited budgetary reasons awareness about the change for the change, but the issue isn’t prior to course enrolment. the change itself as much as the But many students met added lack of communication with those stress during course selection it impacted. due to a situation communicated While the onus is on both faculty poorly and many students’ and the ASUS executive team to transcripts may suffer as a result. be transparent, one of these two To them, Jamieson’s offhand were elected into their position reference to these “thousands” of

courses is trivializing.

This indifference to openness at the tail-end of their term is especially surprising given the amount of press given to the pass/fail course option they introduced earlier in the year, an initiative to encourage diverse course options that seems at odds with the later credit allotment change.

If handling the change in outside-faculty course allotment was a pass/fail, A S U S wouldn’t be getting the credit.

— Journal Editorial Board

ILLUSTRATION BY VINCENT LIN

Erika Streisfield

Alternate realities can’t become permanent realities these technologies can’t fulfill essential needs such as verbal communication and physical interaction, and as a result can cause us to become socially isolated and neurological displaced.

Prolonged living in VR potentially replaces our desire for physical and emotional connections, affection or acceptance, for instance, with digitally fabricated experiences and relationships that are built on deception.

With VR, users can construct PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY RHAMEY convincing and impenetrable guises to interact in virtual spaces, Hyper-realistic technology images to produce new realities, such as in video games like World has the potential to change which are accessed through a of Warcraft, but there’s a difference the idea of reality as we know headset device, such as Oculus Rift. between something seeming real, it, but not without a cost to the AR, on the other hand, overlays and being real. physical world. software generated images on Regardless of how vivid it seems, The introduction of virtual to the physical world, combining VR and AR will never completely reality (VR) and augmented reality the real and digitally fabricated satisfy or fulfill our essential need (AR) to game culture, healthcare, — examples of this include Pokemon to feel, touch and see the physical educational institutions, social Go and Snapchat filters. world and other human beings. media and even pornography is While the proliferation of VR In an article about VR in The rapidly replacing the physical world technology may be inevitable, Atlantic, writer Monica Kim with a digitally fabricated one. we should be wary of the cites a self-imposed isolation as VR uses software-generated consequences.

Ultimately, a consequence of a life spent in

THE QUEEN’S JOURNAL Volume 144 Issue 4

www.queensjournal.ca @queensjournal Publishing since 1873

Editorial Board Editors in Chief

Jacob Rosen

Editorials Editor

Ramna Safeer

Opinions Editor

Arththy Valluvan

Assistant Arts Editor Sports Editor Assistant Sports Editor Lifestyle Editor Assistant Lifestyle Editor Photo Editors

Jane Willsie Video Editor

News Editor

Victoria Gibson

Digital Manager

Assistant News Editors

Blake Canning Morgan Dodson Maureen O’Reilly

Features Editor

Alex Palermo

Joshua Finkelstein Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy

Sarah O’Flaherty

Kia Kortelainen

Jenna Zucker

Gabi Sandler

Ashley Rhamey

Emma Sewell

Julia Balakrishnan

Sydney Urbanek Will Alley Orli Levitt

Valentino Muiruri

Ivette Rodriguez

Rachel Liu

Victoria Stevens

Vincent Lin

Cayla Wolever

Graphics Editor Copy Editors

Contributors

Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami

Editorial Illustrator

Zachary Chisamore

Shivani Gonzalez

Brigid Goulem

Mikayla Wronko

Irene Liu

believing life lived online is better than the real world, threatening their overall happiness and success.

”

VR and AR technologies manipulate users into believing life lived online is better than the real world, threatening their overall happiness and success.

With a hyper-realistic virtual world constantly improving through VR and AR, the danger for self-jeopardizing addiction will only be heightened. As the targeted users of these technologies, Head Sales Representative

Renee Robertson

Kyle Curlew

Joseph Cattana

Auston Chhor

Kayla Thomson

VR and AR technologies “ manipulate users into

Staff Writers and Photographers

Erika Streisfield

Arts Editor

Production Manager

Contributing Staff

virtual realms. “In 2004, Zhang Xiaoyi,” she said, “a 13-year-old from China, reportedly committed suicide after playing WoW for 36 consecutive hours, in order to ‘join the heroes of the game he worshipped.’”

Business Staff Business Manager

Max Mclernon

Sales Representatives Sebastian Jaramillo Cierra Madore Office Administrator

Anisha Jain

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.

we — the future developers, workers and users of VR and AR — must encourage the use of these technologies responsibly and appropriately.

VR and AR are appropriate where they enhance certain environments, not replace them, such as in healthcare, where it’s used to practice surgeries or new methods.

As a generation that witnessed and participated in the exponential growth of technology, we have the responsibility to make informed decisions that won’t hinder future generations from a successful life that is not dictated by VR or AR technologies.

Today, we are dabbling with technology at younger and younger ages.

This is the new reality, but we can’t let new forms of reality-bending technology let us forget who we really are — human.

Erika is The Journal’s Arts Editor.

She’s a fourth-year English major.

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

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Friday, September 9, 2016

OPINIONS

Your Perspective Home

Universities can see your social media

PHOTO BY GHAZAL BARADARI-GHIAMI

Kyle Curlew, MA '17 Staff Writer The University is probably watching you.

Or more specifically, the administration at Queen’s are probably scouring Facebook and Twitter for your frosh plans, parties, and personal life details.

As social media inches towards more visibility and less privacy, educational institutions, legal institutions, and employers gain the ability to glean data from people’s social media accounts.

Think this isn’t likely?

Daniel Trottier, who did his sociology PhD at Queen’s and focused his doctorate on social media surveillance, published a study in 2011 pertaining to such. It demonstrated how a particular Ontario university (made to be anonymous) and its administration unofficially creeped student’s Facebook accounts to get early warnings of large scale parties and events. This phenomenon could only grow in size as students’ social media presence become more ubiquitous.

“Students that make themselves visible to one another on social media unintentionally augment institutional surveillance”, Trottier wrote. And institutions typically jump for joy at an opportunity to impose their rules,

In 2008, a Queen’s task force was devised to explore and understand the role of social media in the University’s reputation. This led to a document that urged a

commitment to monitoring social media — later leading to the creation of the Queen’s University Visual Identity Policy, which dictates how people represent the University through a consistent branding process.

Principal Daniel Woolf wrote in this document: “The impact of our brand is measured not only by what people know about us, and how they feel about us, but by how easily they recognize Queen’s and identify with the institution. By following these guidelines, you are protecting one of our most valuable assets — our brand identity”.

Clearly Queen’s has a vested interest in knowing how its members are representing their brand.

However, such a fixation on reputation and liability can lead to a slippery slope. There’s no consistent policy regulating how the University should engage in investigative work through social media.

Think of how many admissions or awards committees at the University might scour extra dirty details about nights out partying.

Such institutional creeping can lead to unfair assessments of students’ personal lives.

Students shouldn’t have to police their own identities to exist in a University setting.

Perhaps nights spent by students out dancing or having fun are a manifestation of a work hard, play hard attitude. However, such concept may not be clearly

“I’m liking this.”

“Pretty sweet.”

policies, and risk mitigation strategies where they may not be welcome. Institutions that perform such surveillance practices do so with multiple intentions; ranging from marketing innovations and student engagement to defending an institutional reputation and liability issues, Trottier points out.

Obviously, I can only speculate to whether or not Queen’s administration does this, However, it’s clear that such practices are becoming more common as Queen’s has taken an interest in social media in the past.

“Theatadministration Queen’s is probably scouring Facebook and Twitter for your frosh plans, parties and personal life details.

”

articulated from students’ (likely) public Facebook photo albums.

In other words, institutional creeping lacks any kind of contextual background.

The fact that the marketing apparatus at the University doesn’t have a system to hold them accountable to its members’ privacy is incredibly problematic.

Researchers and students at this institution are accountable to the Tri-Council Policy Statement:

University. It needs to be debated at Senate and it needs to lead to the drafting of policy. Queen’s must be held accountable to the privacy of its members.

But, don’t expect this to happen anytime soon.

Even if the people who have the clout to enforce change at the level of Senate or Board of Trustees are galvanized to make a move — the bureaucracy is incredibly slow.

Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

This means that researchers need to achieve consent from their participants to delve into their lives. It also holds researchers accountable to maintaining the privacy of their research participants. The University takes this very seriously — for better or worse.

The policy defines privacy as “an individual’s right to be free from intrusion or interference by others”. If this is a standard enforced on researchers at Queen’s in the interest of the protection of the rights of citizens, then it should go without saying that the administration should be held to the same standards.

This issue needs attention at the highest level of the

In the mean time there are a few things you can do to protect your data and your private life. Namely, increasing the privacy settings on all social media platforms. And if students are really planning something scandalous, do so through a private messenger.

Students’ weekends are of direct interest to the University.

The people watching may also be peers, residence dons, or grandmothers.

Being aware of who might be watching, and why, allows for students to at least keep the control of their personal information in their own hands. Students at this institution deserve at least that much.

“It’s been fun, I made a lot of friends!”

“It’s lit.”

creeping lacks any kind of “Institutional contextual background. ”

Kyle Curlew is a MA student in Sociology.

Talking heads ... around campus PHOTOS BY AUSTON CHHOR

Hey Frosh, how do you REALLY feel?

Greg Eriksen, ArtSci '20

Jamie Robertson, Sci '20

Elim Chan, Nurs '20

Froshline Bling (Group #9) ArtSci ’20

Friday, September 9, 2016

queensjournal.ca

•7

THEATRE

Existere doesn’t compare

This year’s production more restrained humour than previous years

ARTS Gabi Sandler Staff Writer Existere is a theatrical treasure in Frosh Week that helps incoming students embrace the fears and excitement of coming to university — because if there’s anything High School Musical taught us, it’s that when you’re feeling frustrated and anxious, it’s nothing a little song and dance can’t fix.

However unlike previous years, there were times in the show where the gaps lengthened between laughs and a few tweaks in pacing would have

benefited tremendously.

Comedy in general is tricky and takes a lot of work to make it seem effortless. At times, the jokes felt forced and too obvious, as opposed to a more surprising and subtle kind of comedy we’ve come to expect from Existere.

Comedy is all about timing and chemistry, which were both present within the group, yet it struggled sometimes to let the genuinely comedic material within their subject matter speak for itself.

That said, Existere XXII included a talented cast of second-year students and three third-year

FESTIVAL

directors from a variety of faculties.

Through hard work and creativity, the troupe presented a series of vignettes and short pieces tackling campus topics such as moving into res, mental health and resources, as well as learning how to have a healthy balance of work and play. The show premiered on September 5 to a packed audience of first-year students and Existere enthusiasts.

This year’s show featured song parodies like Can’t Stop This Feeling, poetry and breakdancing. The show also consisted of classic Existere tropes, such as the “Welcome to the

Common room”, “When You Label Me”, and “Numbers at Queen’s”, however, with a fresh spin on the topics. The cast’s energy was contagious and their final bow was taken with well-deserved pride.

Existere is a unique piece of theatre. The cast is trying to get so much across in many short shots, as opposed to one continuous message like a typical work of drama. It’s the perfect combination of funny, heart-warming, eye opening and relatable, which doesn’t come easy to the writers and performers.

With any work of art, there is

PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR

always room for workshopping and it was special to watch these young theatre creators at this point in their artistic process.

As an upper year student with graduation around the inevitable corner, the show brought me a sense of nostalgia and allowed me to reflect on my time in the Queen’s community.

Good job to the cast and crew for a heartfelt first impression to the frosh and for giving us upper-years a chuckle and a trip down memory lane.

A barned good time Family-owned brewery and farm host annual music and craft beer festival Will Alley Contributor To say the beer was flowing is an understatement, as Mackinnon Brothers Brewing Co. hosted a one-day festival featuring local bands, food trucks and, of course, refreshing brews made on the very ground the drinkers stood on.

The Mackinnon family-owned farm, located in Bath (just outside of Kingston), dates back to 1784 and was recently transformed into a brewery by brothers Ivan and Daniel MacKinnon.

Throughout the day, bands serenaded the brewers and drinkers while people milled about, socializing and exploring the tastes of Mackinnon, Barley Days Brewery, Black Oak Brewing Company, County Cider Company, Wild Card Brewing Company and Kingston’s very own, Stone City Ales.

Now in its second year, MacKinnon Brothers have made their craft beer and music festival into a real labour of love. They’ve put the spotlight on local talent, hailing mostly from Kingston and Montreal. Kingston’s very own Lost Cousins, London’s Ivory Hours and Montreal’s Busty in the Bass, played at the event.

Around sunset, the first of the headliners took the stage.

Lost Cousins, made up of a group of four Queen’s alumni kicked off

an incredible set, drawing scattered attendees in to get a closer look at the source of the smooth soul-rock that rang across the hillside.

The band wrapped up their set as the sun began to slip below the horizon, and the crowd that had accumulated around the stage disbursed to restock on food and booze before the next show.

Following Lost Cousins’ smooth sound was the much anticipated, This year’s festival featured local brews, such as Kingston’s Stone City Ales.

Busty and the Bass — a product of the McGill party scene and renowned in university towns across Canada. These kings of funk boast an energy level that would put any top 40 artists to shame.

The three-man brass section kicked off their set with a bang before the vocalists took over, alternating between soft, seductive singing and smooth, groovy rapping.

At no point in the show did the nine-person cohort ever stop moving and neither did the crowd.

Although it might have been a cold summer night, Busty and Bass had every person on the farm dancing until they broke a sweat.

As Busty and the Bass wrapped up their set and bid everyone farewell, the MacKinnon brothers took the stage and closed the night with warm wishes.

It was a perfect summer day, full of good music and refreshing beer.

Headliners Busty and the Bass grooving on stage.

PHOTOS BY WILL ALLEY

Arts

8 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 9, 2016

FILM

TIFF ‘16 to feature Queen’s team and Kingston native Sydney Urbanek Staff Writer In the film industry, September is one of the most important months of the year. As the season turns, thousands of filmmakers, celebrities, movie-lovers and critics flock to Ontario’s capital for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

TIFF is known for celebrating independent productions from all over the world, but also serves as an important stepping-stone for filmmakers and actors to the Academy Awards.

In addition to its feature presentations, TIFF selects a strong crop of short films by Canadian filmmakers. Among this year’s programming are two shorts with strong ties to the Queen’s and Kingston community.

CYCLES, produced, starring and directed by Kingston native Joe Cobden, is a four-minute

ARTIST PROFILE

film about a man who loses the affection of the woman he loves to his best friend, performed in three repeating choreographies.

“Our guy is left reeling, cycling through the past and trying to figure out what happened,” Cobden said of the film. “And, as he cycles through, the memories get corrupted and a whole other story is revealed.”

Cobden lived in Kingston for the first eight years of his life and has fond memories of his time spent in the city. His lifelong love of performing has fueled an award-winning career as an actor and writer.

CYCLES isn’t Cobden’s first film to play at TIFF — his short Vive La Canadienne played during the 2012 festival — but he’s thrilled to be invited back, nonetheless.

“I’m going to buy a suit to celebrate.”

While Cobden celebrates another successful short, Queen’s alumni Molly McGlynn and Matt

Code prepare for their TIFF debut.

3-Way (Not Calling) was written and directed by McGlynn and produced by Code, both graduates of the Film and Media Studies program at Queen’s.

The ten-minute short follows 29-year-old Mel, who suggests that she and her boyfriend try a threesome on the eve of her 30th birthday. After finding a third partner, they quickly discover that she’s longing for something more than just sex.

“I thought it would make a funny film to show what happens before and after,” McGlynn said. “What are the logistics of something that is supposed to be fun and sexy? There’s always some awkward practicality leading up to such things.”

Though both filmmakers studied at Queen’s, they didn’t cross paths until they were working in Toronto years later.

Code credits the Film and Media

Studies program with giving him the confidence to pursue a career in film. “At the very least, there was a community of people with similar interests that I’d be able to connect with as I forged ahead.”

Both CYCLES and 3-Way (Not Calling) are featured in TIFF’s Short Cuts Programme. The 2016 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8-18.

3-Way (Not Calling) was directed and produced by a Queen`s alumni team.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY MOLLY MCGLYNN AND MATT CODE

Zobary a growing musical talent Alex Palermo Assistant Arts Editor It’s not every day you hear a cover so good you wonder why anyone would listen to the original.

Singer, songwriter and student Erez Zobary’s genre-defying, flawless renditions of songs like Adele’s ‘When We Were Young’, and Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ accomplish that feat. She also composes, performs and records her own music all the while being a third year ConEd and History student at Queen’s.

Zobary began her musical trajectory in her freshman year when her residence don suggested she audition for Down There — an annual student-run production that tackles controversial issues related to womanhood, inspired by The Vagina Monologues.

Zobary became the first one to bring music to the annual production of Down There, performing a self-composed song based on a student-written poem about maintaining your roots and

looking within for strength.

Zobary followed her first year performance in Down There this past March when the production returned.

Never far from the spotlight, the singer also participated in Queen’s Got Talent with a close friend, an experience she described as “hilarious”. They won first place in the contest in 2014. Zobary plans to audition for Queen’s Players this year, as a way to stay involved in drama and music scene at school.

As with any medium in art, it’s important to be open to change.

When Zobary was 16 years old she got vocal nodules, which has greatly affected her music career. “I had to learn to embrace my husky voice,” Zobary said. “I wasn’t really able to sing the show tunes anymore.” As a result, she’s transitioned to more R&B style music.

Zobary’s songwriting process happens sporadically.“ It’s great to put a lot of time and work into writing, but I think it should come out fast”, she said. Songs often just come to her as she’s out in public,

Zobary is a third year ConEd and History student with a flare for music and theatre.

Zobary said, so she takes to her phone’s voice recorder and gets out as many lyrics as she can.

She completes around 15 to 20 songs a year.

“All my music is about things that have happened and experiences,” Zobary said. The genre she works with is dependant on if she’s writing alone, and if she is, it tends to be her voice and a piano.

Zobary also receives calls from other artists and bands who are

interested in featuring her on their track. She’s worked with The GMO’s – a blues and country band that’s a bit out of her preferred style.

She isn’t in a place to turn down these kinds of requests, Zobary said, as these experiences serves as learning opportunities.

Zobary and a friend recorded a four song EP in their residence in first year, an act she hopes to follow in coming months. Zobary says she’s aiming to come out with

SUPPLIED BY SOPHIE BARKHAM

a second four to eight song EP soon and hopefully record more in the future.

When asked about her aspirations for after graduation, she said she plans to be a starving artist.

“I’m not fully sold on being a teacher. Music is something that I love,” Zobary said. “I’m going to try this music thing for a few years...I would regret if I didn’t.”

Friday, September 9, 2016

queensjournal.ca

•9

SPORTS A Canadian pipeline RUGBY

Queen’s rugby making their mark on the national stage S arah O’F laherty Assistant Sports Editor

Erin Geddes (top) and McKinley Hunt (bottom) representing Rugby Canada in the United Kingdom this summer.

ALUMNI PROFILE

SUPPLIED BY IAN EDGE

Over the past few seasons, Queen’s has become one of the nation’s top ruby schools and it’s been evident in the influx of Queen’s talent going on to play for national teams.

This summer Queen’s had four players from both the men’s and women’s programs represent Canada in national competitions with Rugby Canada.

Take Lucas Rumball for example, who lead the Gaels to a fourth straight OUA championship as their captain and was named the OUA’s Most Valuable Player last season.

This summer, Rumball was the youngest of the 15 players selected to Mark Ascombe’s national team roster for the Rugby Canada “Summer Series” — a month-long tournament across Canadian cities against Japan, Russia and Italy.

Returning to the Gaels for his fourth season, however, Rumball has told his teammates that he’s stepping down as their captain for the 2016 season.

Rumball explained his decision comes from his conflicting schedules with the various teams he plays with.

“To fill a leadership role in the sense of captaincy, you really have to be there for the boys constantly, you just have to be there,” Rumball said. “You can’t really be away and be the captain at the same time, so I decided to step down.”

However, Rumball doesn’t think that his decision to step down will have a significant impact on his own performance or the performance of the team.

“I’m always trying to help the boys improve and you don’t have to be the captain to be a leader on the field so I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”

In terms of his future, Rumball has his

sights set high. “I hope to start getting selected for tours regularly and I actually hope to play professionally at some point.”

Rumball isn’t the only player on the Queen’s men’s team to be noticed by Rugby Canada. Winger Kanoia Lloyd spent his August as part of Rugby Canada’s “A” team, travelling to Northern Ireland to play against European competition.

This recent trend stretches beyond the men’s team.

Another Queen’s rugby player to represent Canada was Emma Chown. In July, Chown was one of 12 university students to represent Canada at the Rugby sevens tournament at the Summer Universiade Games in Wales.

Erin Geddes, the captain of the women’s rugby team, and prop McKinley Hunt have also represented Canada this summer.

After winning gold with five other Gaels as part of the U20 Ontario Storm team — the provincial rugby team that plays in the under-20 women’s Canadian Rugby Championships — Geddes and Hunt were chosen to play on the U20 national team that traveled to the United Kingdom in August.

For Geddes, the experience abroad helped her grow as a player and she contributedher success with the national team to the people she shared the experience with.

“I’ve never had a coach who was so passionate about the sport and it just made it that much more enjoyable for everyone,” Geddes said.

Like Rumball, Geddes also acknowledges the difficulty of balancing the responsibilities of playing for multiple teams and being a student.

“I think you need to be a special type of person to be able to do it,” Geddes said. “Not See Success on page 11

Once in a lifetime experience in Rio Rose LaBreche refereed rugby sevens at Olympics J oseph C attana Sports Editor It’s often believed that one of the many roles of coaches is to help inspire athletes.

Due to concussions and shoulder surgery, Rose LaBreche was forced to retire from rugby in 2010 while at Queen’s. With her time as a student athlete over, women’s rugby head coach Beth Barz suggested that to stay involved LaBreche should take refereeing courses.

Fast forward six years and LaBreche, ArtSci ’10, held the prestigious honour of being the sole Canadian Sevens match official — male or female — at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

From August 6 to 8, LaBreche served as the head match official for Colombia vs. Fiji and Colombia vs.

Kenya — assisting on the sidelines for the other games.

“It was really cool to see a bunch of different athletes come together for such a prestigious event and see all of their hard work culminate in

their performance,” LaBreche said.

Like people who pick up a sport for the first time, LaBreche had to climb up the refereeing ranks to prove herself. Starting out with refereeing high school tournaments and games, LaBreche progressed through the ranks, becoming one of 12 members on Rugby Canada’s national panel of referees in January 2013.

In 2015, she was awarded Rugby Canada’s Official of the Year.

From there, she was sent to international tournaments to be scouted, ending up a part of the international Sevens panel in August of 2015.

Since then, she has refereed for the World Rugby Women’s Seven Series, traveling to Dubai, Sao Paulo and Langford — all working for the Federal Government in Ottawa.

It was at the Dubai Sevens tournament in December 2015 that LaBreche found out that she would referee the first Rugby Sevens Olympic event in 92 years. She described it as an overwhelming feeling.

“It has been years of hard work and years of personal sacrifice and to have this be something that I look back on as the pinnacle of my career.”

The nervousness and pre-match jitters of being on the international stage left once she hit the field.

“Once you’re out there, you’re not really focusing on the external environmental factors, but it’s just pre-game while you are at the hotel or a couple of days before you’re like ‘oh my goodness, this is the world stage.’”

During her down time, LaBreche used these moments to soak in the whole event, watching other sporting events and visiting landmarks in Rio. During the Olympics, LaBreche and the other judges, referees and technical officials stayed at a military base outside the Olympic village.

For LaBreche, some of her fondest memories will be hanging out with the other rugby officials.

“Even though being a referee is looked at as being an individual job

Rose LaBreche, the only Canadian referee at Rio.

[we were] very much a team.”

One of the highlights for Canadians at the Olympics was the strong showing by female athletes. At Rio, women won 16 of Canada’s 22 medals. Swimmer Penny Olesiak became a national icon and women’s rugby’s bronze medal performance will not be soon forgotten.

LaBreche believes that her time at Rio will help to inspire young women back home.

“I think that Rugby Canada and Rugby Ontario did a good job of putting my success forward and

SUPPLIED BY RUGBY CANADA

from that a lot of young women and people in general were inspired to take up refereeing.”

For someone who never thought going to the Olympics was a possibility, LaBreche has cherished the opportunity to be a referee.

“It has taken me to heights and places that playing never could have,” LaBreche said.

“It’s such a good opportunity to see the world and to also meet a lot of different people that come from different backgrounds, and it also puts you in a lot of interesting and potentially difficult situations.”

Sports

10 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 9, 2016

MEN’S SOCCER

Starting the season on the right foot Jacob Schroeter leads his team to back-to-back victories with three goals

Schroeter (right) scored two goals in Sunday’s win against Laurentian.

S arah O’F laherty Assistant Sports Editor The Gaels had a dominant weekend as they opened their regular season with back-to-back victories against the Nipissing Lakers on September 3 and the Laurentian Voyageurs on September 4.

In their season opener against Nipissing, the Gaels maintained a generous lead throughout the majority of the game.

Forward Patrick Van Belleghem got Queen’s on the scoreboard early in the first half with a goal 14 minutes into the game, followed by two more courtesy of Tommy

WOMEN’S SOCCER

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

Hong and Jacob Schroeter in the 17 and 19 minutes respectively, giving the Gaels a 3-0 lead going into the second half.

Nipissing managed to score on a free kick in the second half, but were forced to play one man short after receiving a red card — leaving the door wide open for the Gaels

Game 1: QUEEN’S 5 Nipissing 1

Game 2: QUEEN’S 4 Laurentian 2

to attack.

The Gaels easily maintained their lead throughout the second half, adding on two more goals from Kyle Owens and new recruit Michael Chang, to win the game 5-1. This was rookie Chang’s first career goal.

The Gaels faced a much fiercer competitor on Sunday against Laurentian, as the teams battled for the lead throughout the game.

The match was much more physical than their season opener, featuring six yellow cards in total — four for Laurentian and two for Queen’s — for a slew of chippy plays and heated exchanges.

The Voyageurs scored early in the first half and maintained their 1-0 lead until Gaels’ defender Sam Abernethy tied the game with a header to keep the score locked at 1-1 going into half time.

With both sides missing a few scoring opportunities, the Voyageurs took the lead once more 12 minutes into the second half. While the game looked like it belonged to the visitors after taking the lead for the second time in

the game, Gaels’ striker, Schroeter, took matters into his own hands.

Schroeter scored two goals in two minutes to claim the Gaels’ first lead of the match and sealed the Voyageurs’ fate with an assist on Patrick Van Belleghem’s breakaway goal late in the second half, making the final score 4-2.

For Schroeter, it was important for the team to start the season strong. “It’s always good to get points when it’s a hard game and yesterday was a little bit of an easier game,” he said.

“We were due a challenge to start the season to see our character and I think we pulled through.”

Schroeter also remained focused on improving before the upcoming away games next weekend. “I think a well-rounded approach to the next game will hopefully make it easier on ourselves at the start but I think we are all very confident going in.”

The team will look to continue their winning streak on the road this weekend for the first time this season against UOIT and Trent.

Moving to sixth in Canada Gaels get highest ranking for the team since 2014 J oshua F inkelstein Staff Writer The Gaels opened their season in similar fashion to how they ended last year’s campaign — dominant.

Looking to continue on the successes of last season — where the women’s soccer team went undefeated in their last 12 games to win th 2015 OUA championship and later a fifth place finish at the national championships — the team earned a full six points in the standings at Miklas-McCarney Field on their opening weekend with convincing wins over Nipissing and Laurentian.

Following the victories, the Gaels jumped up a spot in national rankings, putting them in sixth.

Fifth-year striker Tara Bartram, who scored in the 2-1 victory over Laurentian on Sunday, explained the significance of the ranking.

“The national ranking means so much to the team,” she said, noting how it’s a reminder of what their hard work has achieved.

“Personally, it’s the highest Queen’s has been ranked while I’ve been here and it makes me very proud.”

Game 1: QUEEN’S 2 Nipissing 1 Game 2: QUEEN’S 2 Laurentian 1 Bartram also spoke about the importance of getting wins early on in the season, especially on the heels of last year’s success.

“I think it’s a great way to set the tone for the rest of the season,” she said. “ We have something to prove coming off the great way we ended last year, but we’re more than up for the challenge.”

Coach Dave McDowell also spoke with optimism about the team’s chances to repeat the success of last year and even push beyond. For him, it’s important to have a strong team culture to thrive throughout the season.

Brittany Almeida (right) attacked the Laurentian defence often in their 2-1 win.

The team has seen a slight change in personnel from last year, losing midfielder Jessie de Boer and defender Micah Vermeer.

McDowell acknowledged the vital contributions of the two to the team’s title run last season, yet he has faith the team can adjust.

McDowell added that he was impressed with how well many of the team’s new players have fit in with the old players, both in training and in the games over the weekend.

But, if the team wishes to improve on last year’s performance, there are still aspects of their game they’ll need to work on. According to McDowell, a main focus for the team this year will

be turning draws into wins. Last season, the Gaels drew seven times during the regular season —the same amount of wins they picked up.

To capitalize on their positive work and see a difference in the league standings, McDowell stressed the team’s scoring rate when in front of the opposing net as a key point, their “efficiency in finishing, getting into good positions.” This was especially prevalent on Sunday, with the Gaels taking eleven shots in the first half, only one of which found the back of the net.

One more important aspect McDowell mentioned was team defending, and maintaining the

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE NIJHUIS

strong goals-against record from the previous season. The Gaels averaged 0.5 goals-against per game last season.

On the whole, McDowell was satisfied with the team’s two wins.

“The first weekend’s always tough, molding together new and returning player. Six points was the number one thing.”

Jenny Wolever and Rachel Radu scored in the Gaels’ 2-1 victory over Nipissing in the season debut on Saturday. Wolever also added a second goal to her tally, following up Tara Bartram’s opener against Laurentian the next day.

The Gaels are next in action on the road this weekend against UOIT and Trent respectively.

Sports

Friday, September 9, 2016

‘Success breeds success’ Continued from page 9

only is your academic life becoming more and more difficult, but rugby life too.”

While Geddes has enjoyed successes in her summers away from the Gaels, she credits her time at Queen’s for her achievements.

“Coming to Queen’s really enhanced my passion for rugby and it made it so much easier to put in the extra work, put in the extra time to get to the level that I did.”

Geddes also finds that each player taking the summer to play with other teams returns to the Gaels with a new set of skills.

“Not all of us play around Kingston so when players go back to their club teams, or play for their province or even for Canada, you have the opportunity to learn so much more and then take what you’ve learned and bring it back to make Queen’s better.”

Rugby Canada isn’t only taking players from the Gaels, but some are even coming back.

Nadia Popov — a powerhouse centre —

is returning to the women’s team this season after a three-year hiatus she took to pursue a career with the Canadian Sevens team.

The head coach of the women’s team, Beth Barz, is confident that the relationship between the Gaels and Team Canada will continue to be positive for both teams.

“Our goal is to provide Gaels athletes with the opportunities to learn and grow into players at the national level,” Barz said.

“There is nothing negative about having the opportunity to play for your country.”

Down the road, Barz hopes to build on that relationship as well.

“It would be helpful to have a stronger relationship with Rugby Canada in terms of player development and big picture thinking as we move forward together as communication on these areas can sometimes be lacking,” she said.

Overall, the connection between the national team and the Gaels is important for the success of both teams.

“Success breeds success,” Barz said.

queensjournal.ca

Happening at

293 Princess St Tuesday to Saturday 4pm-late!

Tuesday: Crokinole, don’t know how to play? Come on by and we’ll teach you Wednesday: TRIVIA NIGHT begins at 9, doors open at 4, come early for a table it fills up fast!

Thursday: Music series, from 9pm-12am stop by to hear who’s jamming for the evening Friday: Prize day, what better way to finish your week with the chance to win a prize down at the Alibi? Draws will be made at midnight. ___________________________________ As always we have shelves of board games for you to play For the month of September stop by the Alibi for a chance to win free beer for the school year, courtesy of the Gananoque Brewing Company. Draw will take place September 30 at midnight.

Rumball (center) playing with Rugby Canada against Japan.

SUPPLIED BY DEREK STEVENS

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12 •queensjournal.ca

Friday, September 9, 2016

LIFESTYLE My obsession with perfection The realities of living with an eating disorder O rli L evitt Contributor

F

our years ago, I was admitted to the eating disorder unit at Sick Kids Hospital.

It would be easy to lie and say that my battle with mental illness started a few months before I was sent to the hospital. Truthfully, it was something I had suffered with for years, but accepting it as a

reality was the hardest part.

The experiences and struggles I’ve gone through have shaped me into a stronger, more confident and understanding person than I ever thought I could be, and for this I am thankful for them.

Writing this, I know that I am extremely lucky to be where I am today.

I remember being seven years old and asking my mom if I could go on a diet.

At the time, I didn’t know what the term ‘diet’ really meant, but I was intent on having my mom swap out sandwiches for salads and snack packs for fruit.

I noticed my friends were smaller than me and knew that food, or lack thereof, was the key to looking like everyone else. It was then that my obsession with perfection began and eventually shaped the way I approached school, relationships, and my physical appearance.

Fights, bad grades, and my general inability to be “perfect” led to an endless cycle of disappointment.

The self-loathing that ensued as a result of my inability to achieve perfection culminated in an eating disorder. The summer before grade 12 was the first time it was diagnosed, thus making it real.

TRAVEL

PHOTO BY GHAZAL BARADARI-GHIAMI

Certain that gaining weight would cause those that I loved to desert me, no amount of hospitalization, therapy, or threats of imminent death were enough to motivate me to get better.

Fearful of disappointing the people around me, I isolated myself and retreated into a world of negativity and sadness.

One morning, I had an epiphany that can only be described as a miracle. I understood that I deserved to live and it was the starting point to regaining my health.

I started the morning like every See Finding on page 14

Traveling authentically, but at what cost?

Small town traditions have big repercussions J enna Z ucker Lifestyle Editor

The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

VIA WIKIPEDIA

Pamplona is a quiet, rural Basque town in the north of Spain for all but one week of the year. During that week, a festival known for being loud, thrilling, and infamously violent transforms it: the Running of the Bulls takes over Pamplona.

Spending five months studying in Pamplona, I had a first-hand, eye-opening experience of the event and it made me question how cruelty to animals fits into tourism and entertainment.

The Festival of San Fermin, as it’s called in Spanish, attracts masses of people. From adrenaline junkies who take on the actual running, to people just excited by the craziness, thousands cram the tiny streets of the old town.

While this weekend is filled with what tourists may see as an ‘authentic experience,’ the experience culminates in the gory death of innocent bulls.

Does playing the most high-stakes game of catch-me-if-you-can sound exhilarating? In theory, totally. But, when looking into the details of what is classified as “a fun-filled

weekend living authentically Spanish,” things get pretty gory.

The tradition of the San Fermin festival dates back to the Middle Ages. Originally a religious tradition, San Fermin has morphed into a fiesta that ends in Spanish bull fighting.

“In reality this festival contains some level of animal cruelty, but the focus is not to submit the animal to cruelty, but to involve the animal in the festival and celebration in which people are exposed to harm at the same level as the bull is,” my neighbour Rodrigo Martin, told me after he’d participated in the festivities.

It’s difficult to ignore the potential harm to both parties during the festival’s grand conclusion: the bullfight. But while the people are submitting themselves to the potential for harm, I couldn’t help but think that the bulls have no choice in the matter.

Take me for instance. Before actually asking someone what occurs during the festival, I was gearing up for the races. But once I knew about the violence behind the tradition, I had the choice to not attend.

These bullfights consist of three stages. The bulls are first forced between the crammed city walls to run through streets filled with thousands of screaming people visiting for the festival.

Then, each stage of the bullfight puts the matador de toros (the killer of the bulls) in a more advantaged position. The bull is stabbed from the start to weaken it and the matador then taunts it to learn its weaknesses. After exhausting the animal, the matador finally stabs it in the chest, killing it.

The bull usually lacks the energy to even fight back.

“Tradition is part of human culture and society, and this celebration is full of tradition and history. Bulls are part of this festival, which is based on hundreds of years of history and tradition, and the fate of these bulls isn’t exactly the most graceful,” Martin explained.

While the concept of keeping a cultural event alive for hundreds of years is both admirable and meaningful, to me, the reality is people and often tourists find it easier to turn a blind eye to the cruelty in favour of experiencing the authentic tradition.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, September 9, 2016

QJ’s declassified backpack survival guide Everything you didn’t know you needed to pack for the first day of class V ictoria S tevens Contributor

You just never know when those afternoon cravings will kick in. Not to mention, constantly buying food gets pricey. I always take a granola bar and a bag of crackers or almonds to keep my energy up throughout the day.

3. Your pillow

Make sure you always carry your pillow around with you. You never know when you’ll need to take that spontaneous sidewalk nap

2016, the summer of failed blockbusters

4. A bulldozer

There is only one way to efficiently combat the many crowds at the bookstore and in the ARC. Make sure you always bring your handy dandy bulldozer to seamlessly plow through those less prepared.

V ishmayaa J eyamoorthy Staff Writer

5. Your books

Speaking of the bookstore, there’s nothing that shows your professor and your classmates that you are prepared for this adventure more than having the complete syllabus (even if you never crack it open).

6. Pool inflatable

Friends

“I’ll be there for youuuu…” Have you ever been in a situation where you’re like, man, I could really watch Friends right now? Bring along the box season to class to ensure you’re never in this predicament.

10. Words of encouragement from your real friends

Because some solidarity and some shared nachos will get you through this day.

You can thank me later.

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FILM COMMENTARY

or feel confident that your current lecture is better suited for a quick snooze rather than exam prep.

I can’t think of a situation when a fun inflatable wouldn’t be beneficial, So, I don’t mean to brag, but I would consider whether it’s used for lounging myself to be a bag-packing genius. It wasn’t (in or out of the water) or as easy, but after years of trial and error I’ve a conversation piece. Some perfected the stress-free packing process for suggestions would be a swan, any occasion. a donut or a killer whale.

On the first day of class you wake up earlier than you’re used to, you have to show 7. Toaster up in real clothes as opposed to PJ’s and first day jitters inevitably kick in. Your day will Trust me, waiting in line in the cafeteria for be a thousand times easier if you can just your bagel or bread to toast is no fun. If you grab your bag and go, knowing that you’re bring your toaster with you, say goodbye to prepared to take on the day. With that said, this common stressful problem! here’s your handy list with all my pro-tips and secrets so you too can have a disaster-free 8. Your space fan first day.

Bring your space fan to class to prevent 1. Wallet sweat from dripping onto the people beside you that you’re obviously interested in While this may seem like a no brainer, befriending (don’t worry, they’re probably as your wallet can be easily forgotten in the early eager for companionship as you are). morning rush. Make sure you have all the essentials!

9. The entire box series of

2. Snacks (and water)

queensjournal.ca

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very summer, there’s that movie, the one everyone talks about and makes billions of dollars at the box office. But which movie is “the blockbuster of the summer” this year when there have been so many flops?

It’s been widely accepted in the media that this has been one of the worst summers in recent history for the big studio’s.

Movies released during the prime time of the summer months like Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ghostbusters and Suicide Squad haven’t reached blockbuster status, despite being part of hugely popular franchises.

But maybe the concept of a “summer blockbuster” isn’t as relevant as it used to be.

Deadpool was released in the middle of February and it made over $1 billion worldwide. Meanwhile, The Legend of Tarzan was released during the July 4 weekend — generally considered the best weekend to release a movie — and it only made just over $350 million, as of this article.

Studios have historically relied on the pull of holiday weekends to sell movie tickets, but with the continued dominance of streaming services like Netflix and Shomi, timing movie releases just doesn’t matter as much.

Who cares if a movie is being released in theatres during a holiday weekend if you can watch it whenever you want at home?

Similarly, the oversaturation of blockbuster movie releases has made it difficult to capture moviegoers’ attention. Every week this summer, there has been a new release with a killer cast, a big

name director and a bloated budget.

It’s become crucial for studios to instead find new ways of capturing their audience’s attention. Deadpool did it with a marketing campaign that pushed the bounds of creativity, reviving the age-old billboard strategy with posters of obscene emojis and even using Deadpool on Tinder.

Likewise, when Chris Pratt captured audiences’ hearts everywhere by stopping mid-interview to braid an intern’s hair, Jurassic World benefitted.

Jurassic World also benefitted from nostalgia: everyone who fell in love with the iconic Jurassic Park went to go see its sequel.

In theatres, we got to see Chris Pratt build on his newly minted reputation for being a great action star, a reputation he earned after starring in another blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy.

What Deadpool, Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy have in common is they stood out even before they were released and lived up to it after.

Yes, my social media feeds were flooded with nothing but news about Deadpool for weeks before the movie came out. The same happened to me with Guardians of the Galaxy.

It would be easy to say that being the movie the Internet talks about is the ticket to success. But this summer, that trend didn’t seem to hold true.

Suicide Squad also dominated social media feeds, and Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice blew up Twitter when it was released.

The difference is the type of attention both movies got. The studios behind

See Maybe on page 14

LIFESTYLE

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Friday, September 9, 2016

Finding the confidence to address my mental health Continued from page 12

other, pretending to eat breakfast by filling a bowl with food that I would later throw out. Before I had the chance to dispose of my food, something inside me said that I needed to sit down and actually eat a meal.

The minute the food touched my lips, all of the voices that used to tell me how food would ruin my life suddenly disappeared.

Even then, I knew that my experience was extremely unusual.

To this day, I wonder where I would be if I had ignored that part of me that wanted to beat my disease.

Eating disorders are about more than just the desire to be thin.

They’re motivated by a powerful need for control and are often a side

effect of underlying mental illness.

After recovering from my eating disorder, my anxiety and depression began to manifest themselves through panic attacks, once again forcing me into isolation. My doctor diagnosed me with anxiety disorder and I was able to get the help I desperately needed.

But now, I had become extremely skilled in masking my pain and, although I knew my inclination to restrict my food intake had returned, I lied and said I was fine.

What followed was two years of restriction, binging, hatred, sadness and confusion.

So many people that suffer from mental illness are never able to remove their demons, and many suffer in silence. Me, I

isolated myself instead of asking for help.

While some days I would be completely normal, there would be days where all I could do was lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

Although a part of me knew I should tell someone how much I was hurting, there is a sense of failure tied to the acknowledgement that you have a problem.

The voice in my head that fuelled my anxiety had such a hold on me that I no longer knew who I really was. This forced me to reassess where and who I was and decide how I was going to approach my future.

Eventually, I was able to honestly address, understand and

accept my anxiety and depression.

I no longer allow it to dictate my life.

Mental illness is an often silent presence, which can only be stopped through education and acceptance.

My experience with mental illness has made me appreciate my health, my friends and family, and all of the opportunities I’ve been given because I know how fragile life can be.

Moving forward, I know that I will continue to have to fight for my health, because mental illness is something that stays with you for life. But, by learning from my past experiences, I can have a healthier and brighter future.

Maybe next year summer blockbuster

Continued from page 13

The characters of the wildly-successful Guardians of the Galaxy.

VIA YOUTUBE

PHOTOS BY GHAZAL BARADARI-GHIAMI

both movies failed to manage expectations when it came to those films.

Many people thought Suicide Squad was going to be the next Avengers, and when it wasn’t, audiences were disappointed.

Likewise, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice was supposed to be a fun superhero movie, but instead we got a dark and brooding character who met another dark and brooding character… and no

one cared. Their box office sales inevitably suffered, showing why managing those expectations is so important.

So what makes a summer blockbuster stand out? A viral interview, a funny billboard, an old concept made new again — it’s everything all at once.

It happened for Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, and Jurassic World in 2015; looks like we’ll just have to see if 2017 can revive the summer blockbuster.

LIFESTYLE

Friday, September 9, 2016

Looking into the Khumbu Icefall (one of the deadliest places in the world).

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SUPPLIED BY CAYLA WOLEVER

POSTSCRIPT

Following my mother’s footsteps to Mount Everest, 29 years later C ayla W olever Contributor As I stood on the upper flanks of Kala Patthar — a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas — at nearly 18,500 ft above sea level, gasping for air, I thought of my mother who traced her way up my exact path 29 years before me.

I felt warmth on my neck I turned around in time to see a brilliant sun break the horizon over Mount Everest. I stood in awe as I gazed across the valley, clouds nearly obscuring Everest Base Camp below. A lifetime of dreaming led to this moment.

That morning, I read her journal entry from April 25th, 1987: “Today was the most dreamed of, most thrilling, and most difficult day in my life. Today I stood on Kala Patthar, at 18,000 ft., across from Mount Everest on a perfectly cloudless morning.”

I could feel her with me every step of the way. How sweet it was to be repeating history on this glorious day!

All my life I’ve dreamed of the Himalayas.

I’ve always been drawn to the snowy peaks and Sherpa culture, to the idea of risk and adventure, and to the idea of a place so completely foreign to my home.

After my mother, Wendy, died of cancer in 2008, her travel journals from the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India became an inspiration to me. Both of my parents spent a lot of time trekking that region together and this was a way for me to get to know my mother’s younger self. I poured through her meticulously written entries that carefully described the people, places, smells and experiences in her travels.

In February, I was invited to join in a physiology research expedition to Everest Base Camp with Dr. Trevor Day’s lab from Mount Royal University in Calgary.

As a biology student, this was a dream come true and I knew I had to seize the opportunity. There were researchers and trip participants from all around the world.

I knew I wanted to honour my mother in some way through my trek, so I launched a fundraiser called ‘Walking for Wendy’ to raise money for On the Tip of the Toes Foundation, a Canadian organization to “help young people living with cancer regain their well-being by facing the challenge of an exceptional therapeutic adventure expedition”.

My goal was to raise $2,700 — one

dollar for every metre of elevation gained throughout our trek. Through tremendous support from friends and family, I was able to greatly exceed my goal and raise $3,200 during my fundraising period.

After our preparatory days in Kathmandu, we boarded a tiny, rattling plane to Lukla. As we wove in between snowy peaks there was a palpable excitement in the air.

I felt my mother’s presence so strongly as we set off to begin the adventure of a lifetime.

On May 5th, 1987, she had written: “Today I sadly left the high country — I shall miss this place ... I simply must return. Now, May 5th, 2016, I came full circle — we were finally on our way to the Himalayas. Wendy once wrote about her same experience, entering the steepest, grandest mountains I’ve seen ... I’ve dreamed of this day for years, perhaps...”

Our group quickly came together, united with a common goal: to discover, through our research, how altitude affects the human body and to explore and experience the magic of the Himalayas. Every day started with our “daily measures”doing respiratory measures, weight, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and resting heart rate. On our rest days we had more extensive testing, including exercise physiology tests, cognitive function tests using a MUSE (a headband that measures your brainwaves).

We continued to climb higher, breathing and even thinking became more challenging.

As we ascended into thin air, the mood began to change as we reached higher altitudes the gravity of our surroundings began to set in.

We crested a ridge to descend to the village of Pheriche at 14,400 ft., a vicious wind forced us all into our warmer jackets and pierced our lungs — plaguing most Wendy in Nepal.

of us with what is colloquially known as the ‘Khumbu Cough’. It began to snow as we made our way down the main street to our lodge.

That afternoon we attended a presentation on altitude sickness organized by the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), and it gave me chills to hear the doctors speak of such deadly altitude-induced diseases. The HRA is the first major medical centre (and it’s tiny) on the way down from Base Camp, so it’s often an emergency stop for climbers.

That night we decided to watch the new ‘Everest’ movie about the 1996 Everest disaster. As we watched the film, we came to a chilling realization. That day, May 10, was precisely the 20th anniversary. It was a humbling experience and a serious wake up call to exactly how inhospitable this land was.

Beyond Pheriche, our trek led us through the field of stone monuments built for fallen Sherpas and international climbers. We were surrounded by the names I had grown up hearing: Scott Fischer, Rob Hall, and countless Sherpas who had risked their lives on the mountain. It was a very sombre place.

The next few days led us higher and higher, as we closed in on our destination. On May 13, we were greeted with our first view of Everest Base Camp, the Khumbu glacier and icefall, and of course, Mount Everest!

We made our way to the smattering of yellow and orange tents scattered across the gravelly edge of the glacier.

Every member of our team was ecstatic that years of planning and dreaming had come to fruition.

The sheer majesty of the peaks in every direction was awe-inspiring.

We made our way to the base of the Khumbu Icefall, one of the deadliest places in the world. It felt like we were standing on the edge of an endless icy maze.

The real

pinnacle of our expedition was the next day, when we summited Kala Patthar, which sits across a valley from Everest at around 18,500 ft. above sea level.

The altitude alone was enough to make the climb arduous and nearly debilitating.

Nothing will compare to the summit — watching the sunrise above Mount Everest, with my lungs on fire, surrounded by new best friends.

I had my mom’s old backpack, and on it was sewn her ‘Canadian Himalayan Expeditions’ patch, which she received on her 1987 trek. That pack had seen many miles both on her back and my own, and it had finally made it back to the most amazing spot, looking across at Mount Everest.

Throughout this journey our guides were a huge factor in making our trip unforgettable.

I had shown Nima, our head guide, a photo of my mother and her guide on the summit of Kala Patthar in 1987, and he made sure that we recreated it as we repeated history.

They were incredibly kind, helpful, and made our trip nearly perfect — Their devout religion and reverence for our surroundings was inspiring and encouraging to respect the mountains and sacred space.

This trip made me realize how important it is to go after your dreams full force ‑ because when you do, exceptional and unexpected opportunities will land in your path. Following my mother’s footsteps was an incredibly unique opportunity that I am grateful to have had, and by connecting to my past I am able to move forward with a fresh perspective, and insight into my mom’s personality and character, as well as my own identity.

We weave complex lives for ourselves, and watching our stories intertwine with the lives of others is a powerful experience, and will open up doors into even greater adventures.

On Mother’s Day, I watched the sun rise over Mt. Everest from a ridge above the town of Tengboche. On my mother’s trek, on Mother’s Day of 1987 she wrote: “Mom — I send my love across the miles.”

I did the same as I sat in the early morning light with a friend who had also lost their mother. We thought about our guardian angels, watching over us. Before she passed, my mother gave me a tiny token with an angel on it, and on the back it read “toujours avec toi” — always with you.

Those words spoke true every second of my trek, and always will, no matter where my adventures lead me.

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