The Queen's Journal, Volume 150, Issue 15

S ee G olden W ord S

ArtSci Faculty Board discusses suspension of Fine Arts

s ophi A C oppolino Assistant News Editor

Faculty members erupted with concerns over the suspension of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at the Arts and Science Faculty Board meeting on Nov. 18.

The meeting was held online, over Zoom. The Faculty Board meets once a month to discuss issues and updates within the faculty. After a tense discussion and ‘consultation’ from thirdparty consultant Larry Graham, no consensus was reached on recommendations for the future of the BFA.

“That was not a consultation,” Senator Jordan Morelli said as the meeting ended with no clear direction for the BFA program.

The discussion was a result of the University’s recommended procedures for temporary suspension of admissions to academic programs. The Faculty of Arts and Science recently initiated a consultation into the temporary suspension of admissions to the BFA program.

According to the Temporary Suspension of Admissions Checklist, the Dean should “ensure that alternatives to temporarily suspending admissions to the program have been explored and explain to the affected individuals and groups, including Faculty Board[s] or equivalent[s] and Senate, the feasibility [or lack of feasibility] of these alternatives.”

Graham conducted the consultations with all the BFA stakeholders over the course of the semester and moderated the meeting. His questions for the Faculty Board were met with dissent from members who felt they were asked the wrong questions.

“This feels like something that’s being done to say a consultation happened, but we can’t properly answer these questions without other knowledge,” Abby McLean, president of the Global Development Student Council (DSC), said at Board.

The questions up for discussion revolved around how improvements can be made to curriculum and resources for the BFA.

“I just have to echo a point that was right earlier about the utility of having a group of faculty heads who don’t particularly have expertise in in this area being invited to comment on that,” Norman Vorano, History department head, said.

Within the BFA, staff and faculty are advocating to revitalize the program without implementing a temporary admissions suspension.

“I want to say that I absolutely, at this point in time, disagree with the need of any suspension and want to strengthen the program without suspension. [There’s] no promises of resources if BFA gets suspended,” Rebecca Anweiler, BFA professor, said a Board.

There are time pressures for Queen’s to move through the

procedures outlined for temporary suspension of admissions, with two students having applied to the BFA for fall 2023.

“From a student perspective, I have to say that I agree that suspension would not help towards assisting the program,” Lauren Russo, president of the Fine Arts DSC, said at Board.

“We saw student participation at an all-time high at one of events last night. I would really hate for the rich community that we’ve managed to build in our program to be taken advantage of.”

Russo called the BFA a “safe haven” for BIPOC and LQBTQ+ students on Queen’s campus, positing a suspension to admissions would be harmful to marginalized groups.

BFA student Meenakashi Ghadial won the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation’s grant for $17,000 for work she produced in the program. According to Ghadial’s artist statement, she explores her identity as a queer woman of colour through her art.

Another BFA student, Jobelle Quijano, received the Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation’s grant this year.

Despite the program’s success, BFA faculty member Alejandro Arauz said there’s room for growth, referencing the recommendations outlined in the BFA’s 2016 Cyclical Program Review.

No candidates ran in the NSS elections

AMS working to support lack of engagement in faculty society

A sb A h A hm A d Senior News Editor

With campus-wide elections around the corner in the winter semester, the Nursing Sciences Society (NSS) is struggling to find executives for the upcoming term.

According to NSS President Crystal Sau, the 2022 election period passed with no candidates. Originally, the nominations period opened on Oct. 15 with the deadline to submit applications being Nov. 1. The election was originally supposed to be held Nov. 10 and 11.

Unlike other faculty societies or the AMS, NSS runs on a December-to-December term. This means executives are elected in November, with their terms starting Dec. 1, rather than in May.

As it stands, the NSS said they have deferred into a hiring period. The NSS is holding a special assembly at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 to address the issue. Sau said any student from the Faculty of Nursing can run for a position, either individually or as a slate of three.

AMS Secretary of Internal Affairs Amir-Ali Golrokhian-Sani said the NSS provides a very important perspective, and it will be difficult representing the student’s perspectives because there’s currently a lack of engagement with the elections process.

“It’s one of the smaller faculty societies [so] it’s hard for them to get candidates to fill their full roster. That’s a reality of having fewer people to select from,” Golrokhian-Sani said in an interview with The Journal

Golrokhian-Sani said the Nursing program is naturally demanding with clinical hours and other requirements, especially as students progress into their upper years in the program.

“Certain faculty societies have added a lot of positions to reduce the workload. I think that is among many options Nursing can take, and we can support them with that,” Golrokhian-Sani said.

With no candidates, Golrokhian-

Sani said the NSS constitution defers to the AMS elections process, as laid out in the AMS constitution. Quite soon, he said, the AMS will coordinate a timeline for next steps with the current NSS executive.

“That looks like either getting an interim [executive] in or getting a special election happening. Someone appointed until it’s possible to hold an election,” Golrokhian-Sani said. “If this happened for AMS exec, we would be going through this process in March, so we’re going to figure out this timeline.”

Because of the unique situation, Sau, Golrokhian-Sani, and AMS President Eric Sikich have been working under the framework provided in the AMS constitution. Golrokhian-Sani said they’re working to ensure Nursing students have their voices heard.

Speaking to the general engagement among students, Golrokhian-Sani said he would like there to be more students voting and running—despite the increase in voter turnout in the fall referendum.

“We are planning on a lot [for the AMS elections in January] with the marketing office. We are having meetings with executives who will be talking about their experiences, same with undergraduate trustees. Our giveaways are very successful, so [we’ll run] more online ads since they are more effective, based on analytics,” he said.

Golrokhian-Sani said he doesn’t need a contested election, but he wants, and needs, to have compelling candidates. He wants to ensure there are passionate candidates and there are debates. The Secretariat’s office will continue supporting faculty society and other elections where needed, he said.

In her closing remarks to The Journal, Sau reflected on the challenges of nursing amidst the search for NSS’s next executive.

“With the state of nursing globally, it has been difficult to engage students. Nursing is a wonderful career, but the future awaiting us has its challenges as we fight never-ending wars just to be treated fairly,” Sau said.

“I only wish that more people knew how political nursing is and the impact of student government on their education.”

The NSS will be hiring the next executive.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

Aimee Look & Skylar Soroka Assistant News Editors

AMS President Eric Sikich, Vice President (Operations) Tina Hu, and Vice President (University Affairs) Callum Robertson sat down with The Journal to recount their progress from the fall semester and to discuss new initiatives.

In their original platform, team ETC’s key points included working with the Secretariat to re-energize AMS Elections and Assembly, ensure budgets and important meetings with faculty are easily accessible to students, and advocating at the provincial government on sexual violence and response.

“We’re looking at how we can make the budget more accessible to students and how we can simplify that down a little bit, but also provide students with information on where funding is going and how that funding has been utilized,”

AMS Fall in review

Sikich said in an interview with The Journal.

ETC continued by outlining their four platform pillars in regard to the fall semester.

Transparency and Communication

Hu and Robertson commented on transparency regarding school-wide issues, such as sexual violence and housing.

“We are there advocating for the needs of students in sparking those conversations with university stakeholders,” Hu added.

Robertson said a good example of their advocacy was the Orientation Summit held in October, which, according to him, was separated from the University.

Events like the Orientation Summit are designed to create a safe space for student leaders to converse, Robertson said. He said this highlights the AMS’s commitment to transparency in organizing student initiatives.

“What we were very clear on is keeping the University out of our discussions and only having one representative from the Student Experience Office,” he said.

When talking about transparency and being open, putting the student voice first is crucial, Robertson said.

Ensuring the upcoming election is advertised and accessible to students interested in executive and other government positions is also important to ETC.

“We’re concerned overall because we’ve seen that there have been uncontested elections in the past, and we don’t really want that to be the case,” Sikich said.

Sikich said he’d love to have a contested election and hopes to accomplish this through marketing to the student body.

A few marketing strategies the AMS is looking into conducting to ensure students are really engaged include class talks, promotions, and continuing with the ‘AMS Asks U’ series.

Community Building

Sikich sits on around six Senate subcommittees and Senate directly, and said they have a good relationship. His role on the Senate includes looking at policies and reviewing the governance bodies.

“[Senate is] actually where we see a lot of tangible work being done,” he said.

The Board of Trustees is not where the “brunt” of student issues is addressed—despite being “fantastic” for some issues, Sikich said.

Cyclical programme review

....Continued from front

The Cyclical Program Review (CPR) is a process that evaluates all academic programming at Queen’s to ensure programs’ quality and identity areas for improvement.

The CPR identified studio space, scheduling, isolation from the greater Queen’s community, and a lack of permanent faculty as problems confronting the BFA.

Specifically, the CPR recommended re-structuring the timetables for Fine Arts classes to allow students to participate in more electives. The CPA suggests increasing the number of Art History courses required in the BFA curriculum.

In its implementation plan, the CPR states the BFA program can no longer be provided with dedicated space. The BFA currently resides in Ontario Hall and CPR

recommendations were supposed to be addressed in 2017.

To address the recommendations, Vicki Remenda was appointed as the interim BFA director from July 1, 2016 to August 30, 2017.

“It strikes me that there was insufficient formal theoretical underpinning to the program as a studio art program,” Remenda said at the Faculty Board meeting. “It wasn’t formally created or formally assessed, and I think that the program would benefit considerably if there were those opportunities.”

At the beginning of the faculty board meeting, Morelli’s motioned for the “Faculty Board to be given an opportunity to be consulted meaningfully, and to convey its collective wish to the Dean” beyond the Nov. 18 consultation.

The motion passed but did not

go to vote at the end of the meeting due to time constraints.

The AMS is working with the AMS HR office to create a more unified process for employment standards, which students can access through the AMS website, according to Sikich.

ETC would like to hear more feedback from students regarding policies that are not yet addressed. If students want to hear more about procedures or employment policies with the AMS, Sikich said the team will create awareness.

“We haven’t necessarily heard too much about students asking for [clarity],” he said.

By collaborating with different faculty societies, Hu said ETC is using their resources and “cross pollinating” with different services.

Sikich added the AMS is working on a Queer Prom and an equity townhall for the Social Issues Commissioners External, Dreyden George, and Internal, Chloe Umengan.

AMS Services, student groups, and faculty societies are working together to garner more awareness for events. According to Hu, Relay for Life and Queen’s Players are working with Tricolour Outlet. The Engineering Society and Vogue Charity Fashion Show are working with Common Ground for Movember.

“Checklist number two is to ensure that alternatives have been explored,” Claire Dobbie, Queen’s graduate and head docent at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, said at Board. “Clearly they

Student Engagement and Trust

Sikich spoke about Orientation Week and the AMS’s efforts in encouraging student participation.

“We weren’t aware of what we were expecting [in regard to in-person Orientation], but when it comes to the AMS in particular, we were able to harness a lot of student awareness of what the AMS was,” he said.

Sikich stated the AMS was able to gain student awareness due to their visibility on campus, such as Tricolour Outlet being right in the ARC.

The AMS also held a Tricolour Outlet open house, held a club’s fair in the ARC, were at the September Sidewalk Sale, and were present at ASUS Queen’s in the Park.

“I would say we did capitalize off the return to campus of students being interested in the AMS.”

Sikich also commented on the fall referendum having a turnout rate of 11.4 per cent, marking a 1.9 per cent increase in voter turnout from the 2021 AMS Fall Referendum.

“The fact we went up a few percentages in this referendum is indicative that we did actually catch a bit more of the student population,” he said.

Sikich went on to say he’s very pleased with the way the fall referendum turned out, but the AMS can continue to improve on engaging students in voting.

“We can look at the marketing that we’re going to be doing in January. We’ll probably be looking at doing some videos about voting again to get the message out to students.”

Advocacy

The AMS released a statement on the situation in Iran but with the issue continuing, there’s still a lot of work to do, Robertson said.

Robertson also said ETC met with Queen’s Hillel to discuss antisemitism on campus and is looking to broaden that relationship.

have not been explored in this meeting.”

A decision on a temporary suspension of admissions is supposed to be made within the next month.

Team ETC says ‘we can continue to strive for better’

ETC sat down with The Journal to discuss their initiatives.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

The meeting was moderated by outside consultant Larry Graham.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

‘The race to net zero must not leave Africa in the dark’: Vice-President of Nigeria comes to Queen’s

Vice-President Osinbajo delivers speech on climate justice in Africa

Sofia Tosello Contributor

Vice-President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo came to Queen’s this week to deliver a lecture.

On Wednesday, Osinbajo presented in Goodes Hall in front of a packed crowd of students, faculty, and members of the Kingston community. Introduced by Adeyinka Asekun, the high commissioner of Nigeria to Canada, spoke about climate

justice in Africa and received a standing ovation.

“Climate change is the most global and existential threat today,” Osinbajo said in the lecture. “The race to net zero [carbon emissions] must not leave Africa in the dark.”

Osinbajo said fossil fuels have been identified as the worst pollutant and countries have been advised to reduce the use of carbon admitters. However, for Africa, he said the solution is not that simple—there are two sides to the climate crisis.

“Lack of access to energy is at the center [of the] problem of poverty.”

He said to ensure an equitable transition to climate justice, along with discussions surrounding greenhouse gas, we must recognize that climate change is a social justice issue.

Osinbajo said we must approach the question of climate with nuance. He said the climate crisis will disproportionately affect African countries like Nigeria; despite Africa’s low contribution to overall carbon emissions, their poorer and more vulnerable population will be the first to suffer.

He said the effects will be detrimental; as agricultural productivity will decrease, agricultural jobs will be lost, and people will be displaced from their homes.

Africa does not have easy access to electricity compared to other continents, and women and children, schools, and food quality suffer as a result. African countries need electrification to improve the quality of living, he said.

“Acknowledging differences between groups and how they experience climate change [is important].”

“[For] gas rich and energy poor countries, fossil fuels must be used in the short term to address energy access […] limiting the development of gas products [to be used in Africa] violates the enshrined principles of equality and justice.”

He said, for climate action in Africa, North American leaders must look beyond their “archetypal solutions” and consider African-centric climate issues in the fight against global climate change.

Nigeria plans to have net zero admissions by 2060, and a solar program, which will electrify 25 million people using solar power, is in the works, he said.

The Nigerian government has also launched an integration energy planning tool, which will make integrating new energy related technologies easier and improve access to clean cooking in the nation, Osinbajo said.

He highlighted the efforts of the 1 Million Teachers Program, whose CEO, Hakeem Subair, briefly spoke before the vice president. According to their website, the program is committed to producing more high-quality teachers to ensure that children around the world get a good education.

When asked to give advice to climate activists, Osinbajo said, “The more that you do, the better [it is] for the world.”

journal_news@ams.queensu,ca

Skylar Soroka Assistant News Editor

The AMS has been working with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) over the past year to create change for students.

From Nov. 13 to 17, OUSA participated in the Student Advocacy Conference for Provincial Lobby Week in Toronto. The student representatives discussed various issues with over 30 MPPs, with the aim of creating policy recommendations to drive change.

The AMS was one of the founding members of OUSA in 1992 and has been a full member since 2004. OUSA represents the interests of 150,000 university students across ten student associations in Ontario and lobbies on behalf of its members to influence provincial legislation and policy.

“OUSA has been a huge support in helping the AMS learn and be an advocate for students,” Sahiba Gulati, AMS commissioner of external affairs and member OUSA’s Steering Committee, told The Journal

At the conference, Gulati said OUSA discussed four policy recommendations. The first is sector sustainability for international students —advocating for the provincial government to offer more support to institutions to create more sustainable funding for post-secondary education.

The others were gender-based and sexual violence data collection, education in the classrooms, and healthcare and transit for rural and northern Ontario students.

“With the amazing individuals on the Steering Committee, we can’t think of a better group that will allow us to advocate for the students at Queen’s,” Gulati added.

In October, OUSA’s General Assembly was held at Laurentian University. At Assembly, policy papers—which analyzed past data and information at each institution—were brought forward and discussed, which Gulati said resulted in strong recommendations.

The papers addressed issues of ancillary and incidental fees, tuition, student entrepreneurship, employment, and employability. All three policy papers were discussed, refined, debated, and ultimately approved by the institutions—this means these policies will be embedded within OUSA’s post-secondary partners.

“It takes a long time to create change at the provincial level, but constant lobbying and past recommendations that were brought forward years ago are now in place, because of the advocacy efforts of OUSA,” Gulati said.

She added that, given the transition from online to in-person learning, the AMS has been “doing a lot of work” with OUSA to advocate for undergraduate students on the provincial level.

The AMS is working on creating focus groups made up of Queen’s students to gain their insights into policies regarding the transition from online to in-person learning.

Gulati said the past two years have been difficult, as the online format meant meetings with external student unions and MPPs were done virtually. Now that operations are back in-person,

AMS works with OUSA to make policy recommendations

Gulati is happy to continue advocacy work.

“As someone who previously had no political background, it has been very eye-opening on the amount of work that goes into policy work and creating change.”

Gulati also spoke to the Steering Committee’s general priorities for the year, which include gender-based violence and housing.

“[The Steering Committee discussed] these priorities […] with our inputs on representing Queen’s students as well as students across Ontario.”

She said this past September, all OUSA affiliated schools participated in a campaign to advocate for students about gender-based and sexual violence.

“This topic was chosen as the first six-to-eight weeks of post-secondary education is defined as the ‘red zone’ where students are at the highest risk to experience sexual violence.”

The AMS also held a booth in partnership with the University to provide resources and have an ongoing speaker series for students to stay informed.

Gulati added OUSA is working

on a campaign for next semester that will advocate for issues surrounding student housing.

Next March, the AMS will host the Spring General Assembly, where the ten post-secondary institutions that make up OUSA will discuss and approve three policy papers, on the topics of teaching and assessment, two-spirit and LGBTQ+ students, and student accessibility and disability inclusion.

The AMS will write the teaching and assessment policy paper with the University Students’ Council at Western, Gulati said.

Osinbajo spoke to a group of people at Goodes Hall, where he spoke about climate change and Africa.

SUPPLIED BY GARRETT ELLIOT

OUSA discussed four core policy recommendations at a conference in Toronto.

AMS Board of Directors approves employee-facing policies

New policies will be available in February 2023

Skylar Soroka Assistant News Editor

As the fall term comes to a close, the AMS Board of Directors is working on policies that will affect all AMS employees.

In a report to Assembly on Nov. 3, Laura Devenny, chair of the Board, told Assembly the Board passed “numerous” employee-facing policies —including customer services policy, an accommodation policy, a record management policy—in their October meeting.

The policies will be available and come into effect in February 2023. They will impact AMS staff and those accessing AMS services. In her report, Devenny said all employees will be notified of the changes.

“We are in a way extrapolating everything individually from the Employee Policy, so by the time we hit February, all policies will be ready to go and we can decommission the Employee Policy,” Devenny said in a statement to The Journal.

Composed of students, non -students, the AMS executive team, and the Board of Directors offers the AMS guidance, financial accountability, and human resources support.

Luca Difrancesco, Board of Directors student director, will be talking about this new policy implementation in detail next week at the AMS

Corporate Special General Meeting, according to Devenny.

The accommodation and record management policies were amended from already existing AMS policies. According to Devenny, the customer service policy, on the other hand, is “brand new.”

“While the expectation of all our staff and volunteers is to provide a high-quality experience to students, we now have it as a tangible policy,” she said.

This new policy focuses on training staff in accessible customer service and the applicable legislation, equipping AMS employees with the proper knowledge to serve customers, ensuring the AMS treats internal and external customers with respect, and approaching all situations with patience and understanding.

“This policy both shares the values the AMS holds, and outlines how the policy will be implemented across the AMS,” Devenny said.

Devenny said the accommodation policy—along with many other policies—was previously housed under the full Employee Policy, but is now getting its own standalone document, as many of the new developing policies are.

“This policy outlines our duty to accommodate, our values of a collaborative approach to accommodation, and creating a plan for accommodation, which outlines the responsibilities of all parties,” she said.

“By separating these policies outside of the long EP document, students can find what they are looking for more easily.”

The personnel record management policy has been created in conjunction with the AMS’s usage of HRDownloads, Devenny said. The policy will inform students of what the platform is used for, and how long documents are retained.

HR Downloads is a software that provides AMS employees and volunteers a secure platform to sign contracts, house performance evaluations, accommodations, and other personal information needed in the workplace.

“The previous policy didn’t go into as much detail as the new one, and I believe this document makes it more accessible to our staff members,” Devenny said.

While Devenny said the AMS always provided barrier-free accommodations, the addition of new sections of policy will make this clearer. The new “Creating the Accommodation Plan” section, for example, outlines the duty of all parties to take the burden off staff members.

AMS policies are reviewed on a three-year cycle to ensure they’re updated as need, in conjunction with Canadian and Ontario legislation.

The AMS recently hired a new full-time permanent staff member to lead the human resources team, dedicated to reviewing, improving, and implementing these policies.

“The Human Resources Officer is aware of all new legislation as it occurs and offers support to employees to ensure their success wherever possible,” Devenny said.

“These policies are always open to staff feedback and will be monitored to ensure their effectiveness.”

University looking develop and reassess curriculum with eye towards Indigenization

Asbah Ahmad Senior News Editor

A group of fourth-year Health and Kinesiology students came together to release a petition early the week of Nov. 22 asking Queen’s to offer an Indigenous health course open to all students.

According to Mariam Farooq, ArtSci ’23, the School of Health and Kinesiology currently doesn’t offer specific courses on Indigenous health that are open to all students on campus. The courses are currently restricted to upper year students in the program, according to Farooq.

Farooq and the other students who started the petition came together after taking a special topics HLTH course that has a specific focus on Indigenous resilience and vitality to promote self-determination of Indigenous peoples’ health.

Farooq believes recognizing one’s positionality in relation to the topic is important. She said everyone in the group is a settler and is participating in ongoing colonialism. Their main intention is for Indigenous peoples to have their voices heard through the medium of courses.

“We are just advocating for an Indigenous health studies course,” Farooq said in an interview with The Journal. “We aren’t Indigenous, and it might not reflect the beliefs and values of everyone that is Indigenous—we don’t want to speak over their voices.”

Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding topics such as food sovereignty are important, according to Farooq. She believes

increasing students’ access to a health course led by Indigenous instructors will open students to these topics.

“Queen’s fosters tens of thousands of health professionals, but the fact we don’t have proper education on Indigenous health is quite concerning. The lack of cultural competency is a big issue,” Farooq said.

Farooq believes health disparities for marginalized communities can be tackled through educating future generations. She said an important part of that is teachers being able to use their lived experiences in the classroom.

The group of students worked to create an infographic shared on social media under the Instagram page called the “Meraki Initiative.”

The Meraki Initiative is a social justice non-profit organization that helped with promoting the petition and inforgraphic, according to Farooq.

The infographic incorporates statistics and information relating to course material the group of students engaged with. Farooq said the students are reaching out to other clubs and organizations on campus to promote the message. The group hopes the infographic can spark change and educate students.

Nathan Brinklow, associate head (Indigenous Studies) in Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, said the curriculum is constantly being developed and reassessed across the University with an eye towards Indigenization.

“If there is an interest in seeing courses centred on Indigenous health developed, the most effective way to try and make that happen is to talk to your professors, department heads and deans,” Brinklow said in a statement to The Journal

“I am happy to support these kinds of curricular development and would be pleased to help anyone navigate this process if they care to reach out to me.”

Students petition to have Indigenous health course developed at Queen’s

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

Students are working on developing relation ships with other clubs on campus.

PHOTO BY KAIDA CHEAH

Remembering the sacrifices of Black Canadian soldiers

with recruitment into the military, which is part of what makes these 22 individuals so unique, Iacobelli said.

Clanny Mugabe Assistant Lifestyle Editor

“A Community at War” is a current exhibition at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The exhibit centres on contributions of Black Canadians in the Canadian military.

Presented in partnership with the Niagara Military Museum, the exhibit focuses on the experiences of 22 Black individuals who served in the military from the time of the American Revolution until the present day. It is open until March 19, 2023.

Dr. Teresa Iacobelli, war curator at the Canadian War Museum, said focusing on the stories of 22 individuals allows people to understand the role the group of soldiers played in Canadian history, which is important considering Black military history has not been highlighted equally as other groups.

“We’re looking to have diversity of stories. Speaking for the museum itself, it’s [about] getting more stories out there—more of the individual stories—[and] highlighting those stories within the broader picture of Canadian military history.”

“It’s making sure those stories are well known within the context of the larger story of Canada at war. It’s teaching stories in the school system, highlighting them in our books through vignettes.”

While there were no policies officially barring African Canadians from enlisting, many faced issues

Panel discussion explores research and clinical trials

Angie Ibrahim Contributor

Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) hosted a panel discussion about cancer research and clinical trials in which QHS is involved.

The special virtual panel on Nov. 22 was part of #TheNext25 campaign, which explores the reimagination of research, patient care, and health sciences education. Jane Philpott, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, moderated the event.

Dr. Jacqueline Galica, a member of the Queen’s Cancer Research Institute, Dr. Bishal Gyawali, associate professor (Medical Oncology and Public Health Sciences), and Dr. Annette Hay, the chair of the Division of Hematology, sat on the panel.

According to Iacobelli, many military recruitment officers held racist beliefs and used discretion in allowing people to enlist, especially during the first World War.

“There were a number of Black Canadians who did serve on the front lines. There were about 1,300 individuals who joined. There was the example of the No. 2 construction battalion, so this happens later in the war, when recruitment was lagging,” Iacobelli said in an interview with The Journal

About 788 Black men were a part of the No. 2 construction battalion. While they served no combat role, they built railways, cut tress, and did a lot of necessary work to keep the military going. Iacobelli said despite being denied the military roles they originally sought, battalions like the No. 2 construction battalion served a pivotal role in World War I.

In July of this year, the Canadian government issued the battalion an official apology for the racism and discrimination they faced.

There are also many examples of Black women serving in the Canadian army, either in uniform with the Canadian army corps, or with the women’s air force division.

Iacobelli shared the story of Kathleen and Connie Brown, twins from the Niagara region who served during the second World War.

“I think what is unique is the fact they were willing and eager to serve, despite the fact they were facing structural barriers at home and denied rights many white Canadians would have received. The fact that they were willing to serve under those circumstances is remarkable.”

Black Canadians may have enlisted with the hopes of acquiring benefits and better treatment in Canada after returning home, which made their enlistment a unique sacrifice, Iacobelli said.

Edward Smith is one of the many soldiers whose story is featured in this exhibition, having worked in the military in various capacities for 25 years, and having done some pre-deployment training in Kingston with work experience at RMC.

“I spent some time doing bilateral, bi-national—I should say—training exercises with Cameroon, which is a country in West Central Africa,” Smith said in an interview with the Journal.

“At one point, we took over the third-year engineering class from RMC for three weeks in Cameroon to go into the bush and do their particular curriculum training exercises in an unsupportive environment, meaning that they had to do all their planning for everything they were going to need.”

According to Smith, the history of Black soldiers was so rarely talked about that in his 25 years of service in the Canadian military, he did not learn about it.

It wasn’t until the Niagara Military Museum reached out to him that he started getting more educated on the history of Black Canadians in the military. Smith is very happy this history is being discussed.

Knowing more now about the history of the Canadian military, Smith feels things have improved based on his experiences.

“I had suffered overt racism in every institution that I had ever interacted with [and] in every aspect of Canadian society. Whether it was school, whether it was police on the street, whether it was looking for

jobs, I had been subjected to overt racism,” Smith said.

“[When] I joined the military, I [didn’t expect] anything much different. But it was completely different for me. I never had to deal with it ever once.”

The Canadian military was a large influence on Smith. He said being in the military will always be a part of his life, and military training steeled him for the difficulties of civilian life.

“The military defines me; it is how I think of myself.”

The exhibition taught Smith a lot about Black Canadian history. He learned the way Black service members paved the way for him to have access to the rank he achieved in his career within the Canadian military.

He said those soldiers persevered under soul-crushing conditions, but rarely get recognition for it. This exhibition is one step forward toward more education about the contributions of minorities in Canada’s history, but it’s only the first step, he said.

Despite the improvements within the military and within Canadian institutions in general, Smith said that his experience is an individual one, and while it was positive, it’s important to remember the struggles of minorities currently in the military.

“The fact that [racism] didn’t happen around me does not mean it doesn’t happen.”

Cancer researchers at Queen’s discuss affordable treatments

The panelists discussed potential cancer treatments highlighted in their research while improving patient outcomes and experiences.

When discussing cancer research, Galica said putting patients and families first, regardless of what cancer discipline researchers are involved in, is paramount. She also emphasized the importance of working with patients, families, caregivers, and survivors to understand what meaningful care looks like.

“I think there could be something in the co-creation that’s better than what any individual researcher or person with lived experience can ever imagine on their own,” Galica said at the event.

Hay delved deeper into the

treatments currently researched and tested at QHS. She explained how CAR-T cell therapy—an improved treatment for people with certain types of leukemia and lymphoma is—has cured some patients who have tried chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and radiation, with no successful outcomes.

Her description of the CAR-T cell therapy process began with taking blood cells from a patient, specifically B lymphocytes—these are white blood cells produced from stem cells in bone marrow.

The cells are taken after collection to facilities in the United States where they are engineered to recognize cancer. Billions of cells are created and flown back to the patient, where they’re reinfused

in the body. She describes it as “re-educating a patient’s immune system.”

Despite the CAR-T cell treatment being highly promising, Hay and Gyawali see challenges in the affordability and accessibility of the treatment.

“It comes down to how you define affordability—who’s paying and how big is their pocket,” Hay said at the panel.

CAR-T cell therapy is available in Canada for those who need it. In the US, the treatment costs $400,000 according to Hay. She believes if treatment is valuable in saving a life, it’s a necessary investment, regardless of the price tag.

Hay said using a one-time treatment as a functional cure is game changing

globally, as opposed to ten years of ongoing treatment.

From his experience working in Nepal as an oncologist, Gyawali said CAR-T cell therapy is effective, but there’s a long way to go before it becomes a reality in countries with developing health care infrastructure.

He said in one study, less than five per cent of patients with a type of breast cancer were accessing necessary drugs in India.

Gyawali said in Nepal, some of his patients were selling their homes to access life-saving ovarian cancer drugs. He’s hopeful there are ways to make treatment affordable for all, and he hopes to see new treatments improve people’s quality of life and produce fewer side effects.

The exhibit was developed in collabora tion with the Niagara Museum.

SUPPLIED BY CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM

War Museum exhibition features contributions of 22 Black Canadian soldiers

Investigating the unpaid labour behind club leadership

proceeds go to charity. Last year, Players donated over $43,000.

Sandrine Jacquot Opinions Editor

There are roughly 300 clubs here at Queen’s, each of them run by presidents, executives, directors, or other leaders of varying titles.

The impressive and diverse range of the clubs Queen’s has to offer is often an attractive feature for prospective students looking to embrace their passions or give back to the local community.

Clubs are valued not only for the fundraisers and events they hold, but also for the skills members learn along the way and carry with them into the world.

Much of this influence and impact is credited to those behind their operations. However, most club work isn’t paid; it’s viewed as extracurricular and voluntary work.

The Journal spoke to student club leaders across campus to investigate the work they put in to make the Queen’s extracurricular community so vibrant.

In an interview with The Journal, Brock Jekill, ArtSci ’23, president of Queen’s Players, said extracurriculars are a valuable way for students to find a safe space to explore their interests outside of academia, form a community by meeting like-minded people, and develop technical knowledge and skills that will serve their future careers.

Queen’s Players is an SNL-style, choreographed stand-up comedy performance for a live audience with a live band. They typically put on three shows per year where all

Jekill’s role involves overseeing the board, coordinating logistics like venues and contracts, and overseeing recruitment. His job also entails making sure teams have the resources they need.

When speaking about his position’s time commitment, he said, as president, he’s the first point of contact for crises that could occur at any time.

“You’re kind of always on call,” Jekill said. “You don’t know when there’s going to be an emergency. You don’t know when you’re going to be needed, so, you try and balance it and stuff kind of goes askew.”

Although Jekill didn’t anticipate how much behind-the-scenes work his role entailed, he spoke highly of his experience. He sees Players as a unique way to bring people together and share their voices in a welcoming and positive environment.

When discussing financial compensation, Jekill said he personally wouldn’t ask for any, especially considering all their funds go to charity. However, he sees the benefits of non-financial forms of compensation.

Many students who join Players are drama students. The drama department allows students to get credits for being part of productions, but Players is specifically not allowed to be used as a credit.

“We have actually had people who had been offered positions have to turn them down after finding that out because [they] can’t manage the course load and do [Players],” Jekill said.

The club is trying to shift away from an excessively demanding culture, but Jekill would like to see increased recognition and support

from the University and associated departments highlighting Players’ reach, hard work, and value.

“I already hear so many students who are like, ‘I really want to be doing this, but I just don’t have the time and or money to be doing it,’” Jekill said.

“It really sucks to think the demographic or population that [could] take on a leadership position is going to be altered because they’re not getting the support they need.”

Jasmine Hasmatali, ArtSci ’23, is the president of Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA). QIAA aims to educate and engage students in international affairs and politics through a variety of initiatives such as Model United Nations, Speaker Series, and International Development Week.

Hasmatali sees clubs as a space of belonging and community at Queen’s. To her, they’re a fulfilling way to improve your skills while reminding students there’s much more to university than academics.

Her role as president entails overseeing all of QIAA’s operations. Hasmatali has always been interested in leadership positions and saw running for QIAA President as the natural next step.

Hasmatali has a part-time job she balances with her studies and extracurriculars. When asked about how much time she devotes to QIAA, she said there have been weeks where she’s dedicated upwards of 15 hours.

“It’s not an insignificant amount of my time. […] The time I put towards what I’m doing for the club, is, I would say, valuable, and takes away from my studies and working,” Hasmatali said in an interview with The Journal.

To Hasmatali, this work is worth the smiles on her executives’

faces after running a successful event, like their recent outreach with refugee families in the Kingston area.

When asked if she feels appropriately recognized for her work, Hasmatali said she thinks club leaders need to be compensated for their time. She believes the University has normalized students contributing significant time and effort to their clubs without compensation, even if the reward is supposed to be networking or personal and professional development, she said.

“While [these skills and connections are valuable], that doesn’t excuse the fact that we are still putting in this effort and time to ultimately better the Queen’s community. I think that not being paid is a way for Queen’s to use [students] to their benefit without fully acknowledging the amount of work that they put into their clubs.”

Hasmatali wants to see more of a reciprocal relationship between clubs and the University. It doesn’t have to be in large sums of money, but she thinks it isn’t too much of an ask.

She believes clubs aren’t treated with as much value as they serve in the Queen’s community and she would like the AMS to do better on this.

“It’s not just my time, but it’s also my energy and my emotions that I invest, which I think is also something that’s not always accounted for,” Hasmatali said .

Despite the amount of work it takes, Hasmatali loves being the president of QIAA and doesn’t regret running for her position. She said she’d fulfill her role to the best of her ability regardless of whether she’s paid.

As co-presidents, Bryan

Inibhunu, ArtSci ’23, and Daniel Deletsu, ArtSci ’23, estimate they spend between five to 10 hours a week conducting team meetings, doing administrative work, and coordinating operations for Queen’s Black Premedical Association (QBPA).

QBPA aims to encourage and create a community for underrepresented minorities trying to get into the medical field. They host events like MCAT 101 to break down the big exam or give advice when applying to medical school.

Both Inibhunu and Deletsu have been on QBPA since their first years, so running for co-presidency felt like a natural progression.

Neither had really considered compensation for their work.

“The way I see it is that what we do is for the community, so when I pivot it like that, I don’t feel a need for compensation,” Inibhunu said in an interview with The Journal.

They went into their roles to help others, so at the end of the day, they wouldn’t advocate for themselves to get paid. They’ve felt recognized by their members, their successful engagement, and the cross-club support on campus. But they said they could understand why compensation could be offered.

They believe when club work becomes compensated, there’s a risk people will step into their roles with money as the end goal instead of the same community-centred mindset.

“If compensation is involved in anything, it kind of changes the mentality that you have,” Inibhunu said.

Club leaders speak on their significant investments to the Queen’s community

Leaders

GRAPHIC BY CURTIS HEINZL

Reconnecting with your childhood superhero

This reminder grows no less important as we grow older.

Even amongst the explosions and techno-backdrop, superhero narratives are moral tales. They’re stories about good triumphing over evil, about choosing the right thing.

They’re fundamentally simple. As our lives get more and more complicated, we need this simplicity. We need stories that give us something to believe in.

Heroism doesn’t have to die. We don’t have to give up on the heroes we once were.

Spider-Man isn’t heroic because he can climb walls and fight giant men dressed as rhinos. He’s heroic because, beneath the disguise, he’s Peter Parker, a human trying to do the right thing. It’s not about what he can do; it’s about who he chooses to be.

Sam Goodale Assistant Arts Editor

Whether it’s Spider-Man slinging from web to web, Batman firing up the Batmobile, or Wonder Woman wielding the Lasso of Truth, superheroes are a defining feature of many childhood memories.

From toys to comics, superheroes are undeniably fun and allow us to explore abstract concepts of right and wrong in a safe environment. As a child donning the costume of your favourite hero, it was hard not to feel super—that you were good, that you would always do the right thing and save the day.

Yet, as we grow older, we trade Captain America for Steve Rogers, and it feels like the hero we once were has died. Things aren’t as simple as they seemed. The bad guys don’t wear weird costumes

and doing the right thing isn’t as easy as it used to be.

We’re powerless and weak, with an upcoming assignment deadline far more frightening than the Joker ever was. But heroism doesn’t disappear as we age; it changes.

Reconnecting with our childhood superheroes reminds us the hero we used to be hasn’t gone anywhere; we can overcome even our most feared foe.

Superheroes allow children a safe space to process, face, and overcome their anxieties. As children watch Spider-Man defeat Venom, they’re reminded they can also defeat their fears and be brave, just like their favourite hero.

Superheroes are a reminder that good can triumph and that we, no matter who we are, are capable of heroic things.

We are all presented with this same choice. We can choose to be more compassionate, understanding, and kind. When we recognize the power which lies in our choices and harness it, we become superheroes, no matter our age.

When you stare down your greatest foe—your greatest fear—whether it’s an approaching assignment, exam, or something completely different, remember who you were all those years ago. Remember running around the living room in costume when anything was possible.

Superheroes remind us that we find power in our choices, not our abilities. They’re a talisman to our own heroism, which may lie dormant, but is never gone.

As we grow older, we need superheroes more than ever. By reconnecting with childhood heroes, we may realize who superheroes really rescue: us.

Sam is a fourth-year English student and The Journal’s Assistant Arts Editor.

Hazing is dangerous—take it seriously

Queen’s Finance Association (QFA) had its activities suspended this month following a serious incident of non-academic misconduct. While the details of what occurred at the social aren’t publicly known, a student working for the Commerce Society told The Journal hazing was involved.

Often when a club gets disciplined for activities in the hazing category, it seems arbitrary because the problems in question are so widespread. Hazing is relatively well known—and unfortunately even accepted—among students from all faculties.

However, The University coddles Smith and its students because it’s so profitable, and this special treatment leads to perpetrators of harm being protected over victims.

The absence of administrator comment on this issue is problematic. Reactive policies and brushing these events under the rug won’t make Queen’s a safer or friendlier place to study. When it comes to enforcing rules, transparency as to why they’re in place encourages people to respect them.

It’s only after honest conversations involving both students and administrators that things improve.

We must hold our peers accountable and take the safety of our fellow students seriously—especially first years who look up to upper-year club executives. These students are vulnerable and impressionable

and shouldn’t need to risk their lives for validation.

Commerce students care a lot about their futures, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can foster a strange power dynamic between first years and upper-year executives.

Students who don’t identify with campus drinking culture are creating student associations to find community without alcohol. The reality is many students don’t feel represented by existing student organizations—the close relationship between drinking and student life frequently alienates those who don’t want to drink.

Getting drunk isn’t a legitimate hobby and we should stop pretending it is.

Of course, not all Commerce students regard faculty drinking and hazing culture the same way.

Unfortunately, without consequences for hazing activities, people forget, history repeats itself, and the outcome can be even worse than the last time.

www.queensjournal.ca

1873

Editorial Board

Editor in Chief Ben Wrixon

Managing Editor Julia Harmsworth

Production Manager Dharmayu Desai

News Editor Asbah Ahmad

Assistant News Editors Sophia Coppolino Aimee Look Skylar Soroka

Features Editors Anne Fu Suzy Leinster

Editorials Editor Maia McCann

Editorials Illustrator Katharine Sung

Opinions Editor Sandrine Jacquot

Arts Editor Rida Chaudhry

Assistant Arts Editor Sam Goodale

Sports Editor Sarah Maat

Assistant Sports Editor Lilly Coote

Lifestyle Editor Maddie Hunt

Assistant Lifestyle Editor Clanny Mugabe

Photo Editor Curtis Heinzl

Assistant Photo Editor Herbert Wang

Video Editor Mackenzie Loveys

Copy Editors Vineeth Jarabana Cassandra Pao Mikayla Wilson

Graphics Editor Amna Rafiq

BIPOC Advisory Board Members Alexis Ejeckam

Contributing Staff

Contributors Arden Mason-Ourique Hiroki Yasui Sofia Tosello Zoë Keefe Angie Ibrahim Hannah VanLeeuwen Josh Kowal Chloé Rainville Kaida Cheah

Business Staff

Business Manager Chad Huang

Sales Representatives Eric Joosse

Fundraising Representative Grace Moffat

Social Media Coordinator Claire Schaffeler

Want to contribute?

For information visit: www.queensjournal.ca/contribute or email the Editor 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.

Situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The Journal’s Editorial Board acknowledges the traditional territories our newspaper is situated on have allowed us to pursue our mandate. We recognize our responsibility to understand the truth of our history.

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

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Contents © 2021 by The Queen’s Journal; all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of The Journal.

In Commerce particularly, the enriching opportunities clubs offer are invaluable. Unfortunately, that means they come with the unique pressure of being gateways to jobs and careers. This necessitates a strong desire for members to prove themselves, often when alcohol is present.

Many young people don’t understand their drinking limits. Yet, alcohol’s centrality to our social lives has set us up to develop unhealthy drinking habits before we even graduate.

It’s unfair that those QFA members not involved in the incident will miss out on opportunities it offered. In the future, clubs should think twice about risking their hard work to uphold a toxic tradition.

We must hold individuals accountable, but that alone won’t change our toxic drinking culture and break decades of hazing tradition.

QFA isn’t the only club to blame, but its suspension should lead us to properly address this behaviour at all Commerce clubs and in the greater student community.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

ILLUSTRATION BY KATHARINE SUNG

OPINIONS Your Perspective

The student housing market is in crisis

The Queen's house party is over

Zoë Keefe Contributor

A healthy, stable home environment is critical to well-being. With students now expected to work and study from "the comfort of their own homes," online learning has elevated the importance of a positive home environment as part of academic study.

Queen’s students who are moving out of residence, finding new roommates, or returning from internships are facing the reality of the current local housing market: it’s in crisis. However, the reality of the situation is that no crisis starts in a vacuum—the student rental market in Kingston has been deteriorating for more than a decade.

The current housing vacancy rates in the student district are at all-time lows. Over-enrollment, crippling inflation, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are all factors putting pressure on students’ ability to locate and pay for good-quality housing.

"Upwards of 50 anxious students will wait in the pouring rain to tour a five-bedroom unit that’s a 15-minute walk from campus.

With landlords or property development companies increasing prices, owners are feeling the squeeze which has only further driven up prices. Now as winter break approaches, many students are still scrambling to find housing for next semester or the upcoming year.

Queen’s currently indicates that students can expect to pay $475 to $950 for a single bedroom in a multi-unit home plus utilities. However, it’s much more common for rent to be on the higher end of that spectrum than the lower end.

Lines for house showings are often ridiculously long. Upwards of 50 anxious students will wait in the pouring rain to tour a five-bedroom unit that’s a 15-minute walk from campus. The stress of this often-fruitless process leaves students feeling frustrated and hopeless.

Some may say "Toronto is so much more expensive" and while this is true, higher education students looking to Kingston as more affordable would never even have considered an

education in major cities. But students can no longer even consider Kingston to be an affordable alternative.

Individuals take on debts and commitments based on what they feel they can manage. We each make assumptions about what to expect and structure our financial goals around what we can afford. With these drastic changes in the Kingston housing market, students are forced to respond to economic forces they could never have anticipated.

indicating the need to build 3,300 new off-campus dwellings to support the student population.

Although some housing cooperatives exist—such as the Kingston Housing Cooperative with 170 beds and Queen’s Community Housing—they only reach a fraction of those who require assistance.

Many private developments have emerged to supplement the market, but this option is only open to those who can afford the extortionate rent of over $1,200 per room.

If current property options are inadequate and negatively impacting students, why isn’t this essential issue a priority? Students all agree this is long overdue.

For those supporting themselves and already paying high tuition fees, the collapsing housing market could prevent prospective students from getting a gold-standard education. Access to quality education should not be reserved only for those who can afford housing.

Queen’s says they’re committed to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through “progressive change.” If they truly intend to uphold these ideals, then affordable housing remains a foundational pillar to be addressed through practical and tangible commitments.

Students are struggling and need reassurance from the University that it will actively address these pressing issues, which are growing ever more onerous.

Queen's has the opportunity to enhance its reputation and become one of the first Canadian universities to publicly support and value the living conditions of its student body, especially for upper-years or those living off campus. Doing so would be a demonstration of the University’s commitment to the principles of EDI and preservation of its community.

Unfortunately, this housing crisis will only continue to worsen.

Queen’s recently opened a new residence building housing 334 more students, barely denting the market demand. Queen’s residences also primarily offer accommodations to first-year undergraduate students and some exchange students, forcing upper years to seek other arrangements.

The fall 2021 headcount for full-time students was 27,692—a number only expected to increase in the coming years. A 2020 Kingston Housing Supply report forecasted a 40 per cent increase in students between 2016 and 2041,

Just like other housing market bubbles, this one has a serious risk of collapse. With droves of new students always joining our community, it's a core issue for both the University and Kingston to invest in sustainable initiatives, demonstrate support, and enact positive change.

We need housing options that accommodate students’ diverse financial needs.

"Access to quality

can afford housing.

If students must live farther away, the renowned campus atmosphere is bound to degenerate. Just like other traditions we continue to safeguard, the student district must also be preserved.

Campuses should advocate for inclusive options that do not discriminate against students’ financial backgrounds. It only takes one institution to recognize and react for the rest to take note, something that would benefit students facing sky-high rental prices across the country.

The question is, how do we mitigate the effects of the housing market bubble in Kingston, and who will support the student body? What is the University’s vision for our housing, our community, and our future?

One thing is clear: the days of boasting about $600 rent are long gone.

Zoë is a fourth-year Nursing student. journal_letters@ams.queensu.ca

"If current property options are inadequate and negatively impacting students, why isn’t this essential issue a priority?

education should not be reserved only for those who

"Campuses should advocate for inclusive options that do not discriminate against students’ financial backgrounds.

Zoë believes in increasing affordable student housing options.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

"If Davies can actually score a penalty [...] that would be awesome."

Nic Winchester ArtSci

GHANA

"Because Nigeria didn't qualify."

"It's a busy

with exams. Otherwise, I'd watch Canada play."

FRANCE

"I have a little bit of French ties because I'm from the Caribbean."

"People shouldn't be down on Canada for losing to the second place team."

Tryphena Evborokhai HealthSci '24

Ashley Migneault ConEd '24

Nandi Edwards HealthSci '25

David Cox ArtSci

ARTS

Rida Chaudhry Senior Arts Editor

The exploration of self through ink on skin has been practiced across the world for thousands of years. Be it declarations of love, reminders of values, stories of heritage, or the art of another to decorate one’s body with, tattoos are part of human nature.

For the fourth edition of this column exploring an artistic medium, The Journal sat down with Montreal-based tattoo artist Marin Macmillan and Austin Derrheh-Prentice of Kingston’s True North Tattoo to explore tattooing, the permanency of their work, and their journey’s as artists.

Derrheh-Prentice spent his childhood filling sketchbooks with his drawings.

“I don’t remember a point in time where I wasn’t doing art; anytime we travelled when I was little, I’d have at least two sketchbooks on me,” he said.

Growing up around tattoo art through his parents’ unintentional propagation of Ed Hardy and Sailor Jerry’s work instilled in him a fascination for classic American tattoo styles.

“I became obsessed with this hula girl design when my dad came home in a Sailor Jerry t-shirt and once I was a bit older, I looked into who he was,” Derrheh-Prentice said.

He became fascinated with how people use tattoos as a therapeutic method, sensing an opportunity to combine his desire to help people with his art.

“I always found it really fascinating to look at why people get what they get because there’s something so cool about something so permanent,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t think

What’s your medium?

compositions than singular pieces, I get really excited because then I can work with the idea of connection in a larger and more complex context.”

With their body covered in art, choosing a favourite is a bit of a daunting task for Macmillan.

“For the aesthetics, my favourite ones may be my two neck pieces, but I also have this hand tattoo that says ‘I need to know’ and that is very near and dear to my heart.”

When asked about what it feels like to have someone want their art on their body, Macmillan said it’s mind-blowing.

“It’s a huge honour. Honestly ,I’m consistently flattered and humbled and grateful—I love that people love my work.”

about the permanency before they get tattooed and then 20 years down the line, someone’s going to ask them why they got [their tattoo] and they’ll remember the exact reason.”

The intimacy of tattooing has allowed Derrheh-Prince to build a loyal client base who allow him to experiment and explore with new techniques. Seeing his work evolve on someone’s body is unique for him after professionally tattooing for eight years.

“I could tell you exactly when a rose tattoo was done based on how it looks because it shifted so constantly before COVID.”

Derrheh-Prince‘s favourite tattoo on himself is from a Danish artist named Henning. He snagged a cancelled spot with his idol at the 2019 Montreal Tattoo Convention.

“I’ve been following his work since I was 14; in my personal opinion he’s one of the world’s best Japanese tattooers and incredibly gifted.”

When it comes to getting tattoos, Derrheh-Prince recommends those exploring not to get swept up in the allure of tiny intricacies of artist designs when they’re fresh, but rather seek more information on how they heal.

“A fresh tattoo doesn’t matter; what matters is how it looks healed. I wish more tattooers were honest about that.”

Macmillan’s interest in art wasn’t always tattoo-specific.

“Honestly, I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil—tattooing came maybe three or so years ago. I started right at the beginning of the pandemic.”

What initially started as a creative learning project between Macmillan and their partner at the time has since evolved into their part-time job as they study at Concordia.

“My favourite thing about it is the intimacy of the interaction and the level of connection that tattooing requires,” they said.

“Even if you aren’t talking to your client or there isn’t a dialogue the whole time, the idea that you are permanently altering their body and them trusting you to do that is so intimate to me.”

Macmillian’s style of art is distinct: their designs follow the idea of interconnection and ecology through an ecogoth presentation. Their favourite projects are those in which their clients give them creative reign.

“Whenever people want more

For Macmillan and DerrhehPrince both, embracing the little imperfections that may come with permanent art has been the biggest challenge for them.

“The biggest lesson is that it’s always going to be different and that’s the beauty of it. Because it’s permanent, you really want it to be perfect, but being a handmade practice—it never will be 100 per cent perfect,” Macmillan told The Journal.

As Macmillan continues their work as a tattoo artist while studying anthropology at Concordia, their next steps are looking to integrate the two.

“I’m thinking about how tattooing can be a medium for mapping our connection to the world onto our bodies—how tattooing can connect us back to the land and ourselves in ways that we’ve been disconnected from in contemporary Western culture.”

How golden is ‘Golden Words’?

the struggle of needing to pee after spending the night with a girl when her housemates are up and around.

The advice he gives to navigate this cringe-inducing circumstance is to sneak out like the Pink Panther and throw a rock (?) from outside to distract the housemates in order to use the bathroom undetected. It’s sufficient to say Soth’s deliberation on whether to take a pee at his sneaky link’s house tells The Journal everything we need to know about his rizz.

If Golden Words had it their way, Tumble Tuesday would be replaced by Mozart Monday, which honestly might be a good thing. Moshing to Mozart seems like the optimal way to start off exam season.

It’s no surprise Golden Words is at its best when it’s closed—the back cover of this issue is a real smorgasbord of deep, profound comedy.

Journal’s attention, we thought it was time to crack open their paper and see if it really is golden.

Rida Chaudhry and

Goodale Journal Staff

“My vibe so raw, you’ll love me on accident,” reads the meme page of Golden Words—effectively reaching into the souls of the socially awkward bitties in need of some holiday romance.

The satirical newspaper’s longstanding legacy within the Queen’s community has fostered a cult-like following. Its 10th issue of Volume 57 offers an array of self-reported comedies and after a string of callouts to get The

The Twitter layout on the front page is eerily reminiscent of The Journal’s last issue’s Talking Heads, but we can sweep that under the rug for now. The first tweet displayed reads “roses are red, violets are blue, now that I’ve c*m, I bid you adieu,” setting the tone for plentiful jokes about orgasms that unfortunately don’t reach climax and leave you feeling unsatisfied.

Sorry, Golden Words—you shouldn’t have to write “pun intended” for your joke to land.

Editor Ryan Soth’s editorial gives readers an inside look to “Mr. Golden Words” hook-up manifesto, breaching

If anything is for sure, it’s that Golden Word’s meme spread hits the spot. The paper shines on pages four and five with everything from reincarnation and Taylor Swift to a naked Drake, and, of course, a boob crossword.

Unfortunately, the crossword proved itself victor against The Journal’s Arts section—all we ask is next time you provide an answer key.

“Dear Commies, Pata-go-fu*k yourself” was a blurb worth the page. A good old Commerce roast is never not funny, especially when poking fun at the uniformed clothing choices plaguing the program.

This issue of Golden Words offers us some musical musings as well, with Bart Smarley expressing their deep remorse at the lack of classical music in the Kingston nightlife scene.

There’s something about rum going on. There’s a scary man wearing a hat with Taylor Swift tattooed on his chest. We see a Chiquita banana sticker stuck above a rather jubilant Shrek. Across the page, PNG Tom Brady is ready to throw a touchdown pass for the Indianapolis Colts.

It’s only when we find Carl the Minion at the bottom left of the page do we discover the comedic brilliance here.

Carl clearly wants the Chiquita banana, but it’s being guarded by Shrek, who is waiting to receive a pass from PNG Tom Brady! Why won’t Tom Brady throw the football? Why is Shrek guarding the banana? We may never know. But there Carl stands, staring at us, almost reaching out to us asking if we can spare a banana. It’s brilliant.

Ultimately, though, this issue left The Journal wondering: are the Golden Words staff a bunch of mommy’s boys or do they just have mommy issues?

Tattoo artistry offers intimacy and a celebration of permanency in an ever-changing world

Sam

Austin Derrheh-Prince’s classic American tattoo style contrasts to Marin..

GRAPHIC BY RIDA CHAUDHRY

GRAPHIC BY RIDA CHAUDHRY

‘Stutz’ is a must watch

Jonah Hill’s latest directorial project tackles men’s mental health

the fourth wall is broken a step further than it’s been thus far to reveal the green screen and the two years of work that went into what’s being portrayed as an hour-long session.

The cornerstone of Stutz’s approach to therapeutic treatment are ‘the tools’—five steps to reframe one’s cognitive processes. What can easily come off as a promotional film for The Tools is instead an intimate and poignant portrayal of how these two men use them.

we recharge, ‘Part X’ is the villain in the story of life representing pain, uncertainty, and constant work, and your ‘Shadow’ is the part of you that you wish you were not but cannot get rid of.

but also by the watcher who is pulled into personal reflection.

The relationship between two men, let alone a man and his therapist, is one often left out of popular media. It’s often

Rida Chaudhry Senior Arts Editor

World renowned psychiatrist Phil Stutz is the focal point of the documentary titled after him. Directed by friend and patient Jonah Hill, Stutz intimately explores the therapeutic process by reverting the doctor-patient binary between the two of them as they recount their journeys in mental health.

The irony of making a movie about his therapist while struggling to navigate his own anxiety is not lost on Hill. When the documentary hits the first quarter,

The audience is invited to experience the friendship between Hill and Stutz as they navigate what kind of movie they want to make. We aren’t presented with a perfect finished product, but rather one that evolves as we watch.

Hill overcomes discomfort with vulnerability as he discusses the insecurities he’s experienced about his weight throughout his life in the spotlight. Stutz helps him see how humanity is molded by how a person’s experiences interact with their internal characters.

The so-called ‘life force’ is from where

Meanwhile, Hill challenges Stutz to confront himself as a person— the therapist is visibly moved to be on the receiving end of the questions. He reflects on losing his brother at nine, having to be the emotional support system for his mother, and being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease as a young adult in this majorly no-holds-barred session.

While intensely personal, to be fascinatingly relatable by boiling down the natural cognitive processes to a so-called set of tools.

Breaking through the dark cloud with a flow of grateful thoughts, dealing with resentment by absorbing the love the universe has to offer, and radical acceptance of the lessons that derive from every experience are worked through by Hill and Stutz,

Must-see exhibitions at the Agnes

The Agnes is set to close for renovations at the end of the year

Sam Goodale Assistant Arts Editor

At the end of the year, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre will close for renovations and updated exhibitions. The project, dubbed Agnes Reimagined, will make fundamental architectural

alterations to the Agnes with the goal of redefining the social function of art within the gallery and offering a live-in artist residency.

Prior to the Agnes’s closure, The Journal dove into some unmissable exhibitions students should check out before the end of the semester.

Fabrics

“The

of Representation”

Just because a painting is still life doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

“The Fabrics of Representation”

exhibition seeks to breathe new life into the visual representation of novel goods provided by the colonial expansion of the Dutch Golden Age. Featuring work from 17th century Dutch and Flemish artists, the exhibition pops with colour and masterful texture.

“The Fabrics of Representation” offers a modern twist on classical still life paintings, allowing audiences to question the affective purposes of the paintings’ subjects and their signification.

“Land Protectors”

This exhibition pays homage to Indigenous peoples and artists.

As the name suggests, “Land Protectors” honours the legacy of stewardship Indigenous peoples have provided to this land. It speaks to the dangers of exploitation and oppression. Visitors are made to consider how Indigenous peoples continue to protect their land, even when met with opposition, and the consequences of abusing the Earth.

Featuring work from Indigenous artists, this exhibition is a can’t-miss opportunity to learn more about the threats posed to Indigenous land and its people.

“The Masks We Wear”

Created by Ashanti Maroon, artist Winsom Winsom, “The Masks We Wear” is centred around the self-portrait Me Myself & I. In the portrait, Winsom’s face is hidden from us,

covered by a white mask, her eyes wide, deep, and black. The painting, mounted on a red panel, is surrounded by dozens of blank white masks, each seeming to conceal an invisible identity, inviting us to look closer and pull them back.

“The covering mask that we wear, no one sees the real us due to all the hurts, oppression, disadvantage, that we experience in a lifetime, from generation to generation,” Winsom wrote in her 2018 AGO exhibition, “I Rise.”

The resulting exhibition is deeply unsettling, with a swath of unblinking eyes reflecting your gaze. It seems like a mirror that can look at but can’t look into.

“Fugitive Rituals”

“Fugitive Rituals” is a multimedia exhibition which is an auditory and visual journey.

Resonant sounds guide visitors through the exhibition, inviting them to look beyond the surface of the everyday objects on display. Designed by Nicolas Fleming, ‘Fugitive Rituals’ invites audiences to meditate, to not simply look at the objects, but feel them, hear them.

It presents an alternative framework to experience the world, fully engaging the audience and asking us to escape and consider our daily practices.

With so many amazing exhibitions on display, it’s impossible to provide an exhaustive list of all the mustsee pieces at the Agnes. Heading into the final month before the gallery’s temporary closure, there’s never been a better time to see all the art for yourself.

For more information on the Agnes, visit their website.

GRAPHICS BY RIDA CHAUDHRY

Women’s Volleyball beats RMC twice in doubleheader

of RMC in a post-game interview with The Journal.

“We weren’t executing on our side in a few different ways. We weren’t getting the ball to our setter.”

Hannah VanLeeuwen Contributor

The Queen’s Gaels faced off against the RMC Paladins on Saturday at the ARC, with the Gaels emerging victorious after three sets.

The matchup had a slow start with the Gaels and Paladins consistently going point for point, largely due to RMC’s strong defense.

“They were playing really well,” Head Coach Ryan Ratushniak said

Nonetheless, the Gaels pulled ahead and won the first set 25-22. They picked up steam going into the second, finally finding the holes in RMC’s defence.

“[The team was] executing better on offence and putting serving pressure on them,” Ratushniak said.

Outside hitter Arielle Palermo made several well-placed attacks, making it clear Queen’s had honed in on RMC’s weaknesses. The Gaels’ strong team dynamic also shone in the second set as they demonstrated how their on-court relationships can propel their success.

“We’re all just super supportive and we understand the game; we understand that there’s pressure, so we take it lightly,” Gaels left side hitter Mary Stewart told The Journal.

“We have a lot of intensity and passion […] we’re just so excited to have a regular season.”

They won the second set with an improved score of 25-12.

Going into the third set, the Gaels had evidently found their groove: Amanda Siksna, Abigail McAlpine, and Stewart had a consecutive run of kills that led RMC to call a much-needed time out down by 14 points.

Queen’s ended the set strong with a long serving run from Pascale Gararneau, a rookie who got her first kills of the season this game.

Another rookie, McAlpine, also

“The ARC Pool has experienced a pump failure that we have been working diligently to resolve,” the statement read.

According to an email sent to participants, IMLeagues and the Queen’s intramural team “is looking for potential solutions to this matter, one of which being that playoffs are carried out in the first week of next semester for those teams that are interested.”

got the first kills of her university carer with two strong attacks as the third set ended 25-4 in favour of the Gaels.

The teams completed their doubleheader on Sunday afternoon with a repeat victory for Queen’s. This time, the Gaels relied on their bench to secure the win in only three sets.

The team has yet to be defeated in the OUA and continues to attribute their undefeated success to the culture they’ve cultivated.

“It’s honestly such a family dynamic and we’re all just really good friends,” Stewart said. “The passion shows just because we’re excited to be on the court”

Ratushniak spoke highly of the team’s dedication.

“We have a team that’s very hard working and they’re very competitive, but above and

programs, said in an interview with The Journal

The closure has also left important on-campus initiatives, such as Solidarity Swims, unable to run as planned.

beyond everything they support each other.”

“We have great people who are doing a lot of great things, not just in volleyball but as students and community members too.”

On Nov. 25, the Gaels will travel to Toronto Metropolitan University for their first away game of the season. Ratushniak believes the team will “have to be prepared a little bit more mentally.”

“We want to come out and play our volleyball and play the same way. When we step on the court, we play Queen’s Women’s Volleyball.”

The women’s volleyball team has their next ARC home game on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. against the Windsor Lancers. Tickets are free for all Queen’s students.

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

Queen’s Aquatics has cancelled all recreational, varsity, and intramural aquatic activities until at least the new year due to a complicated pump failure.

On Oct. 30, Queen’s Intramural participants were informed via email that all aquatic intramural games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 would be cancelled due to “a malfunction within the pool system.” On Nov. 4, the intramural program—

IMLeagues—reached out again with an update: all games scheduled for Nov. 6 were also cancelled.

“We are so sorry, but we hope to get you back in the pool as soon as we can. Please keep an eye out for further updates,” the email read.

A week later on Nov. 11, they provided a definitive update: the pool would remain closed for the rest of the semester because of mechanical issues. Athletics and Recreation (A&R) confirmed the situation in a press release posted online.

However, unlike IMLeagues, A&R didn’t provide its patrons with an alternate explanation or alternatives option in their statement.

The Queen’s varsity water polo, artistic swimming, and swimming teams have all relocated to other pools within Kingston, such as the YMCA.

“Their practices are continuing at other pools, so they are still getting pool time and we’ve been able to give them the equipment that they need to continue their practices,” Isabelle Gibney, coordinator of Aquatics

“For the Solidarity Swims there are a lot of other programs running throughout the ARC that Yellow House has also advertised to the Solidarity Swims participants […] We have Queer Yoga and there’s Drag Dodgeball,” Gibney said.

Solidarity Swims is a program organized by Queen’s Yellow House focused on creating an intentional time for trans, nonbinary, and non-cis community members—and their affirming friends—to swim and exercise together in a supportive and accepting environment.

No exact date has been given for when the pool will reopen in the new year. Students can expect an update on the closure in early December, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

The closures also disrupted the regular schedules of pool

staff. Many of these positions are occupied by students who have seen their hours cut. However, A&R has offered these employees shifts within other areas of the ARC such as Facilities, Camps, Intramurals, and Q Services.

“I know our facilities staff are working daily with the companies outside of campus to get it open in the new year because they know how valuable our pool is,” Gibney said.

In the meantime, A&R hasn’t provided any compensation for mandatory A&R student fees.

“Queen’s University Physical Plant Services and our Q Facilities team are in contact with external contractors daily. At this time, the core issue has been identified and we are outsourcing parts to repair the pump and motor. Unfortunately, these parts are specialized and take time to source and test to ensure compatibility,” A&R said in their statement.

“We are anticipating the ARC pool will remain closed into January 2023.”

Queen’s overpower Kingston rivals in straight sets two days in a row

Queen’s Volleyball is currently ranked seventh in the nation.

PHOTO BY JOSH KOWAL

Getting in the wheelbarrow

Head Coach Steve Snyder explains what makes Queen’s Football special

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

Since the pandemic began in 2020, Queen’s Football has recorded an impressive 18 wins to only three losses—all at the hands of the country-best Western Mustangs.

In a tell-all interview with The Journal, Head Coach Steve Snyder unpacked Queen’s Football culture and the elements which have led to its success. For Snyder, the pursuit of cultural and on field success follows a simple and repeatable pattern: start by bringing in the right people—from athletes to coaches and staff—and then grow from there.

willing to consistently put in the work.

During the recruitment process, players receive “stamps” or ratings in three categories.

The first is the ‘Dawg’ stamp. This recognizes a student as an amazing player on the field, while the second stamp—the ‘Scholar’ stamp—highlights a player’s desire to graduate and invest in their academics. The last stamp denotes a player who demonstrates exceptional personal character. A recipient of all three stamps earns the ‘Our Kinda Gael’ title and a spot on the team.

On field success begins during practice with the work athletes put in and their mindsets.

Snyder believes in the power of repetition and frequently uses metaphors to help his players get as invested as he is.

are willing to buy in. Snyder has developed a culture capable of just that. According to him, the team has fully committed to “[getting] in the wheelbarrow.”

However, they won’t stop with just one analogy; Queen’s Football uses a “buck a brick” mentality to focus on the work they put in each day.

“In football, you don’t get paid by the hour,” Snyder said.

“It’s not like if you just go and stand around you are going to get rewarded. In football you are only rewarded for the actual work you put in. So, it’s like you are getting paid for each brick you lay, not just being there for an hour.”

“We really focused on guys who were driven to graduate, guys that were passionate about the process of football, which really just means all the preparation and work behind the scenes, and guys that were respectful and responsible,” Snyder said.

The Queen’s football team has been focused on becoming the most respected team on campus and in the Kingston community. Although lofty, this aspiration can be broken into two more digestible parts: on field success and community impact.

“Ultimately, sure we are trying to win football games and championships, but there is much more we are trying to accomplish. We are actually trying to enhance the experience at Queen’s for everybody here,” Snyder said.

This process starts with recruitment, where they focus on bringing in reliable players.

To Queen’s Football, reliability means more than speed, power, or intelligence—they want students

Although eccentric and a tad absurd, these ideas work, as athletes are quick to mention the wheelbarrow, laying bricks, and “Queen’s brand of football” in their interviews.

“We never once felt sorry for ourselves, we didn’t get distracted and we never stopped believing.

These bricks build the foundation of the team. They ensure that no matter what, the team has a discipline and reliable base to fall back on.

A story about a man crossing Niagara Falls on a tightrope anchors Snyder’s philosophy. In the story, a man ties a rope across the Falls and defies gravity by successfully crossing it. Afterward, he asks his amazed audience if they think he could do it while pushing a wheelbarrow. When he’s met with resounding support and encouragement, he then asks them to fully buy into what he is doing and put a volunteer inside the wheelbarrow.

The Queen’s Football program is like a wheelbarrow being pushed across the Falls: it needs support, trust, and players who

This season, the brick base helped the team remain solid in the face of adversity. Queen’s many injuries should have derailed their season, but even their starting quarterback ending up on crutches halfway through the season couldn’t phase them.

“For some teams, that would have just crushed them, but we actually just got stronger and that’s just a credit to the buy in and the way we do things here. We never once felt sorry for ourselves; we didn’t get distracted and we never stopped believing,” Snyder said.

The countless bricks have paid off. The program has established a foundation rooted in reliability, commitment, and investment.

“We just demanded that they stayed in the wheelbarrow

and believed in themselves,” Snyder said.

Queen’s Football established a brotherhood this season. They created a family dynamic that set them apart on the field.

“I think one thing that is unique about our team is how much they support, encourage, and stick up for each other out on the field,” Snyder said.

“Our team takes great pride in picking each other up off the ground and sticking up for each other if they are outnumbered after a play and encouraging each other after not only big plays, but also big mistakes.”

This “one field culture” was extremely evident during their last game of the season against Western. Football is an emotional battle, especially when facing a bitter rival.

should look out for each other on campus and in the community.”

Historically, football games at Queen’s were a huge deal. Students would flood the stadium to support their Golden Gaels. However, as the team regressed and the main field moved to West Campus in the 70s, the hype around football and football tradition died down.

Fortunately, Snyder is set on “trying to bring back that heavy, heavy student presence which was always a staple of Queen’s football.”

The history within Queen’s football is unique and should be celebrated.

From the one-of-a-kind vintage uniforms to enthusiastic Queen’s Bands and flying cheerleaders, football games extend beyond just 150 yards. Queen’s gets just four home games a year—Snyder believes these games can be the catalyst for renewed school spirit.

“The idea is that all four of those home games are like a party and an escape for the students where they can come out and put on those colours, turn loose, and just have fun supporting their team, being around each other and creating an atmosphere that is so unique.”

Watch the Yates Cup stream and see Queen’s players helping each other up. Watch running back Jared Chisari get tackled into the Mustangs bench at the end of the first, then have receiver Josh Macleod immediately rush in after him even though the play is dead. Watch Macleod stand by Chisari’s side and pick him up amidst the sea of purple. Watch and understand how this team stands together no matter what happens.

Win or lose, the football team embodies a culture of support and perseverance Snyder thinks can be applied to the greater Queen’s community.

“That’s, I think, what Queen’s students should do as well: they

“There’s just something about all the students being in the crowd and the stadium being full.”

Queen’s Football goes beyond the field, beyond its star players and biggest rivals. It stares into the student experience and is pushing for change. The team wants to be the most respected in Kingston, revered for ferociously cultivating ideas and a positive culture.

“This is their football team,” Snyder said of all Queen’s students.

“This is their school, and they can be a part of it. They can make an impact on a team and that’s what they need to understand. We want the experience at Queen’s to be better because the football team exists.”

“We are actually trying to enhance the experience at Queen’s for everybody here.

“In football you are only rewarded for the actual work you put in.

“The idea is that all four of those home games are like a party and an escape for the students where they can come out and put on those colours, turn loose and just have fun supporting their team.

Gaels sing the Oil Thigh.

Running back Yann Longa celebrates a touchdown against Carleton.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

Queen’s Basketball victorious in the battle of undefeated teams

Women’s Basketball conquer Ravens 71-65

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

The Gaels took home their fifth consecutive win of the season on Friday at the ARC as they defeated the Carleton Ravens 71-65.

The game was a close one, with both teams putting up a quick and aggressive fight. However, in the end the Gaels gave the extra effort, needed to push themselves ahead.

Historically, these teams have been evenly matched with seven of their last ten games ending in a close finish within ten points.

Right from the first quarter, the teams battled hard. Although Queen’s stayed consistently ahead,

Men’s Basketball beat Ravens 76-62

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

The ARC was pulsing on Friday night as the Queen’s versus Carleton match-up brought in 750 fans, the most the facility has seen all season. Despite a slow start and a little lost momentum in the fourth quarter, the Gaels beat the Ravens 76-62.

The energy could be felt as the Gaels warmed up for their first game against the nation’s top ranked team. The bleachers had a mix of fans, including Queen’s students, other varsity athletes, and Kingston locals looking for a fun Friday night activity.

The Gaels started the first quarter off slow with the Ravens taking the lead out of the gate. However, they didn’t let their slow start define their play.

they lost their eight-point lead with less than three minutes left in the quarter.

Carleton did an excellent job of bouncing back under pressure, consistently finishing the quarters strong. Where the Gaels would pull ahead in the middle, the Ravens were finishers and never ended a period down by more than four.

Queen’s held

scored 16 of 20 shots from the foul line, which kept them afloat even when their shots weren’t dropping.

Queen’s forward Julia Chadwick was the standout player of the game. Chadwick scored 18 points against the Ravens and snagged 18 rebounds. She’s been a key player for the Gaels during the past couple of games, and was recently named Student-Athlete of the week.

Laura Donovan, Isabella Belvedere, and Bridget Mulholland also scored in double digits.

While Queen’s looked to their starting five to fill the board, Carleton relied on their bench. Their second unit racked up an impressive 33 points, demonstrating the well-rounded nature of the Carleton program and their team.

The Ravens outscored the Gaels in the third quarter and tension grew as the fans realized it could be anyone’s game with perfect records on the line.

of timeouts early on to reset and take back the momentum.

When Queen’s started to attack the paint, they turned the game around as Carleton’s collapsing zone defense couldn’t stop them.

“We just kind of got our rhythm after that,” Barrie said.

The Raven’s couldn’t touch the Gaels after they took back the lead late in the first.

Some missed threes by the Gaels early in the fourth gave the Ravens a chance to completely catch-up. The fate of the game lay in the hands of just one basket.

In the end, the Ravens lost because they couldn’t convert their easy shots. Both teams sat evenly matched in skill and effort, but the Ravens missed

points alone would have been enough to tie the score.

“[The win] definitely gives us confidence, but we still have a lot of tough games ahead, so we have to stay dialed in,” Chadwick said in a post-game interview.

“We really focused on being the aggressors and pushing the ball, and that worked well for us.”

After Friday night’s victory, the team travelled to Oshawa for a game Saturday night against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks.

The Gaels dominated the court on Saturday. They came out strong with an eight-point lead and exploded from there, taking a 29-point lead into halftime. Chadwick topped the sheet again with 15 points and nine rebounds to lead her team to yet another victory.

Queen’s has improved its record to 6-0 and now sits in fourth place on the U Sports ranking.

to move the ball down the court and around the outside as their three-point shooting in the second put them on the road to victory. They drained six of seven from behind the arc, shooting 50 per cent as a team in the quarter.

Cole Syllas’ shot didn’t always drop, but that didn’t stop Queen’s attack. Instead, he pivoted and looked to set up his team for a game-high 12 assists.

enough to attract their defense and get good shots,” Head Coach Stephan Barrie said in an interview with The Journal Useless, lazy fouls riddled the first quarter, giving both teams many chances at the line.

“When they get off script, we all of a sudden look very average and that’s what we have to fight,” Barrie said of these early mistakes.

Queen’s made deliberate use

Cameron Bett came off the bench and lead the game in scoring with 22 points for the Gaels. The Syllas brothers, Luka and Cole, both scored in the double digits, while Connor Keefe dominated the boards with 10 rebounds.

Second-year forward Michael Kelvin proved himself as a dependable force: he made 50 per cent from the three and led Queen’s in blocks. His consistent shooting and hustle helped

the night, especially defensively,” Barrie said.

Much of Carleton’s success this season is attributable to Aiden Warnholtz, who has consistently led his team in shooting. However, the Gaels managed his offense by maintaining ball possession and executing a controlled offense. The Gaels did a good job of peeking on offense and used crisp passes to move the ball around the outside.

The Gaels used crisp passing

“Find an open man and make magic,” he said in a post-game press release.

Make magic is exactly what Queen’s did. Their victory over Carleton leaves them undefeated this season, but they aren’t getting caught up in the success.

“This was a good win, but we’re going to put it behind us,” Barrie said.

“You don’t win a championship in November. The reality is it’s a race to the end of February and playoffs.”

Luka Syllas’ first-quarter slam dunk riled up the crowd.

PHOTO BY CURTIS HEINZL

Very merry movies to watch this holiday season

Holiday movies that satisfy fans of all genres

Maddie Hunt Senior Lifestyle Editor

A grown man in a full-blown elf costume; three adult women dealing with their comedic mothers during the holiday season; a cartoon—or live-action—green, hairy man who has a pet dog; or a rom-com that just meets the “holiday movie” category because it’s based in mid-December? What’s not to like?

Whether you need a laugh, a nostalgic children’s movie, or a sweet romcom with an even sweeter leading actor—shoutout Hugh Grant—here are some of the best holiday movies to dive into this winter break.

Will Ferrell running around NYC in yellow tights—need I say more?

Grace Chen Contributor

Selena Gomez released her new My Mind & Me documentary on Nov. 22, available on Apple TV+ and in select theatres. The phenomenal film details Selena’s upbringing, her life of stardom, and her mental health struggles within the industry.

The film traces Gomez’s life over the past six years, marking her struggles of being diagnosed with lupus and bipolar disorder and navigating her kidney transplant in 2017. It depicts intimate scenes in which her conditions taking a toll on her mental health and interactions with her loved ones.

It offers the audience an in-depth glance at not just Gomez’s personal life, but the dark sides of the entertainment industry that don’t always make it into the limelight, like the pressures artists face to succeed.

Importantly, the documentary spotlights the pervasive nature of mental health in our society—one that doesn’t discriminate based on status or wealth. Selena Gomez is one of the world’s biggest, wealthiest, and most-followed celebrities, but this doesn’t save her from the struggles so many people around the world face.

My Mind & Me exposes the falsehood that having money and fame means you have a perfect life.

Elf is one of the most classic Christmas movies of all time. It’s the definition of a people-pleasing movie, catering to all age groups. This movie gives you a mix of holiday cheer, the ‘Scrooge’ character trope that lands in just about every Christmas movie, and comedy that just meets the mark.

All around, this movie is exceptional and will continue to be a go-to for the holiday season. Whether you play it in the background or cuddle up for a movie night and give it your full attention, this movie never disappoints.

For those who see their out-of-pocket family members over the holidays

Bad Mom Christmas , the sequel to Bad Moms, perfects the unconventional nature of Christmas festivities with messy, yet loving, family dynamics. The holidays can be stressful, especially with the overload of family.

Christine Baranski perfects the

critical mother image, Cheryl Hines nails the role of the overbearing mother, and Susan Sarandon is a handful, to say the least.

The dry humour and out-of-pocket commentary will have you laughing so hard you might cry. The film provides relatability for viewers by depicting the reality of family gatherings over the holidays with a happy ending that makes you appreciate the family you do have—as unhinged as they may be.

The mix of comedy, relatability, and love is the perfectly mixed movie for this holiday season.

If you have a kink for bitter green men

The story of the Grinch was such a hit that there are currently four popular copies: the book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas; the cartoon short film; the live-action film starring Jim Carrey; and the 2018 animated movie titled The Grinch.

If four remakes of the same

story don’t illustrate just how beloved this sweet story is, I don’t know what does. Personally, the live-action version gave me nightmares as a kid and I think the cartoon was sweet with cute visuals. But to each their own.

The Grinch is a timeless story, perfectly sweet for younger viewers and nostalgic for older audiences. Regardless of whichever version you watch, or however old you may be, the film overall will make your “heart grow three sizes larger” after watching it.

Hopeless romantics are relentless in every season

Romcoms always hit the spot for hopeless romantics like me, but even more now given the exacerbated false perceptions that even in the freezing cold, slush, and snow, you can find love.

What makes these holiday romances stand out most is that they aren’t really holiday movies. Movies like Love Actually and The Holiday depict stories of

Mind & Me’ opens conversation around mental health

Selena Gomez normalizes struggles faced globally in

finding yourself and then finding your person—no Christmas involved—but they take place in mid-December, so they’re deemed holiday movies. Gorgeous casting calls and endearing love stories make these films merry for the holiday season.

Netflix’s Let It Snow gives you teenage love in its fullest form. Between the fear of confessing feelings to finding your own identity, the film follows four different experiences of high school seniors, their stories of love and friendship perfectly intertwining.

This romantic comedy stands out from other trivial romcoms by immersing viewers in a realistic story of love and friendship that diverges from the conventional narrative; it features a queer romance played by two queer actors.

None of these movies smother you with Christmas or festive narratives, unlike the other previously mentioned films, but still give you messages of love and togetherness. What more could you ask for?

The film is filled with heavy, painful moments, such as scenes of Gomez checking into treatment facilities and clips of the manic episodes she has had after performances.

mental health. Mental health is still a very taboo subject, even though millions of people in the world struggle with it.

We often put celebrities on a pedestal—one that

Child

endangerment and divorced parent-turned legendary figure

Home Alone and Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause are two vital additions to your holiday collection. While very childish, both films’ innocent natures provide feelings of comfort and nostalgia over the holiday season.

Ironically, something about these movies—which show a mother forgetting her child at home while she’s on a flight, and a bitter father scaring Santa Clause so bad he falls off a roof—is comforting and sweet.

***

This Christmas movie collection stands out from all others and—like the holidays—is worth celebrating. Happy holidays!

them absent of flaws. The documentary deconstructs this pedestal by showing how the rich and famous, like Selena Gomez, struggle with their mental health as well.

This sheds light on how pervasive these difficulties are and helps normalize the conversation around mental health. If we can see someone living a life of stardom and luxury face the same challenges we do, we can begin to feel less stigma when discussing our own personal struggles.

It was a courageous act for Gomez to share her story. She told interviewers she was about to pull the plug for this right before release, but her strength to release it to the world regardless was a powerful move.

Indeed, voicing one’s truth isn’t easy, especially for celebrities who have a platform and audience constantly watching them. For this reason, not every famous person chooses to speak up, but when they do, it’s an act of courage that benefits the community overall.

Other celebrities should take note of Gomez’s courage and come forth with their stories too—if they’re comfortable doing so. Their commentary makes the largest impact given the pedestal we give them. Their words can move mountains.

Elf, The Grinch, Bad Moms Christmas, and Love Actually are all Christmas classics.

ILLUSTRATION BY ARDEN-MASON OURIQUE

Her

transparency and vulnerability aid in sparking conversations worldwide around mental health. Gomez’s openness about her mental health is crucial given the stigma surrounding

sees

‘My

new documentary

GRAPHIC BY AMNA RAFIQ

Selena Gomez’s My Mind & Me is inspiring for viewers.

A reminder you’re more than your exam grades

Maddie Hunt Senior Lifestyle Editor

If I had a dime for every time I’ve been stressed about school, upset that I wouldn’t achieve a higher grade, or surrounded by notes, textbooks, and lecture slides past 1 a.m., I’d be sitting somewhere on a yacht.

If you’ve ever experienced these situations, you’re probably familiar with the term ‘academic validation.’ Academic validation refers to equating academic success with your worth as an individual. While in ways, needing academic validation helps you to work harder and strive for success, it can also become a toxic cycle of prioritizing school over your mental health.

The fact is your grades don’t dictate your self-worth—nor should they.

While working hard to achieve higher grades is commendable and can provide you with the validation you want, the problem comes when you don’t meet the expectation you’ve set for yourself.

When you attach your grades to your personal value, bad grades aren’t just bad grades. Instead, they’re personal imperfections. This can be detrimental to your mental well-being because instead of acknowledging all the

external factors that could’ve resulted in the lower grade—relationship struggles, busy work weeks, physical sickness, etc.—you fault yourself.

Your intellectual capability and self-worth are not worth being torn apart because you

can’t remember a psychology theory or engineering equation. At the end of the day, how well you test or how much you succeed in academia is not a complete visual of who you are. There are so many

characteristics that make up who you are—your kindness, compassion, passions, dislikes, and vices. Your academic grades do not discount any of these things, nor should they. Defining yourself solely on your grades is

absurd and unrepresentative.

It’s essential to consider the bigger picture when regulating stress for the upcoming exam season. Take a step back and remember that at the end of the day, the grade you receive is just a number on a piece of paper.

Be proud of yourself for the time and effort you put into writing the exam. Commend yourself for getting as far as you have in your university life. Most importantly, remind yourself no matter the outcome of the exam, you are still as a whole, you are still valued, and you still have worth.

While studying for your exams and midterms are imperative, don’t overwork yourself. Pulling all-nighters to study will help no one. Forgetting to eat because you don’t feel like you have time in between memorizing concepts will only hurt you more.

Your sleep and eating habits are a part of your mental health. Delegate time off—time to sleep, time to eat, and time to take breaks. You can work hard in school and still prioritize yourself and your mental health. The two should not be mutually exclusive.

At the end of the day, your exam is just a piece of paper. It’s not worth all the stress, it’s not worth your mental health deteriorating, and it’s definitely not worth lowering your self-worth.

Go to bed, eat something, and breathe.

with the Stars’ is still a classic

Sarah Maat Senior Sports Editor

When a Disney+ pop-up ad prompted me to watch the 31st season of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) two months ago, I was surprised and confused. How could the show I watched years ago—one I used to convince my mom to push my bedtime—still be running?

I’ve never been a dancer, and I’ll never be one. Len Goodman would take one look at my pancake hands, collapsing form, and mistimed steps and kick me off his dance floor. However, after only one season of commitment, I might be DWTS’s biggest fan.

Even though other dance shows—such as World of Dance—are facing cancellation and struggling to keep viewers, DWTS lives on 17 years later.

The season wrapped up on Monday with Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas taking home the 31st Mirrorball trophy. But runners-up Gabby Windey, Wayne Brady, and Shangela all deserve recognition for their efforts this season.

DWTS has mastered the pivot. Their rotations and adjustments are as effective and brilliant as the ones judge Derek Hough critiques on Monday nights. Season 31 keeps the ballroom style and the overdone dance competition format relevant by providing

an inclusive cast and an addicting atmosphere.

This season saw the first drag queen star in franchise history: Shangela. The inclusive star casting didn’t stop there.

Daniel Durant, a deaf actor, competed all the way to the semi-finals and Selma Blair danced despite her multiple sclerosis diagnosis until her self-elimination in week five. Charli D’Amelio represented the younger demographic at 18 years old and was the youngest competitor this season. Cheryl Ladd, on the other hand, topped the age chart by competing at 71.

These stars were also joined by current pop culture icons such as Gabby Windey and Wayne Brady. Windey had just finished waltzing her way through the most recent season of The Bachelorette before starting DWTS

The bonds the cast fosters despite their many differences shows the audience the importance of inclusivity and friendly competition. Watching the cast’s reaction to Selma Blair leaving the season to focus on her health put tears in my eyes.

This inclusivity gives the audience the representation they want, making the show engaging for all demographics. This brings me to the second thing the show does to stay fresh: create an engaging atmosphere that sucks its audience in. DWTS has never been more accessible and addicting.

This year, the franchise moved

from cable to Disney+. It played on the platform live at 8 p.m. Monday nights, but also remains available for streaming later. This season, there are no ads and viewers have the chance to pause and rewind as much as they want. Getting addicted to ballroom dancing has never been easier.

On top of that, the judges have made audience education a priority. Helpful dance lessons from Derek Hough are sprinkled throughout the episodes to teach us what the judges are looking for in each dance. Somehow, I’ve become an expert in the Rhumba, Quickstep, Paso Doble,

and Argentine Tango without ever touching the dance floor. The show has become the lifeline keeping ballroom dancing alive and thriving in popular culture.

DWTS is a whole production, and the dancing is barely half of it. The costumes, live music, and set designs are captivating even on their own. When stacked with the ever-so cringy but comforting banter from hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro and the obnoxious enthusiasm from the judges, this show becomes an over-the-top reality TV masterpiece.

I cannot count the number of times judge Bruno Tonioli fell

off his chair while passionately praising a couple’s dance. Nor can I imagine how Charli D’Amelio managed to remove all the yellow face paint from her Marge Simpson costume.

Somehow, this show balances absurd costumes, eccentric personalities, and tear-jerking performances from an inclusive cast to produce two hours weekly of impeccable entertainment.

If DWTS continues to be inclusive, addicting, and a tad obnoxious, it’ll have no difficulty dancing its way into the canon of America’s best reality TV of all time.

Your grades are not representative of your value.

PHOTO BY HERBERT WANG

Dancing with the Stars season 31 danced its way into the heart of viewers.

PHOTO BY AMNA RAFIQ

My sister is faster than me, and that’s okay

How I put my competitive spirit aside for our friendship

Maat Senior Sports Editor

I can’t count how many people have told me it’s unfair to consider my sister my best friend.

“Yeah, but that’s doesn’t count; she’s your sister,” they always say.

The thing is, Renée has always been both my sister and my best friend, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I fully understood what that meant.

I’m grateful to have been blessed with an incredibly loving and supportive family. Although my dad wanting to drive a total of seven hours to take me for breakfast before my 8:30 class, or my mom’s willingness to tolerate sports talk—and strictly sports talk—at all hours of the day might be a little unconventional, it makes our family who we are.

joined my competition behind the big rock in our backyard. As the oldest, I didn’t sweat it. I’d won this race many times before. Just run to the tree and back—piece of cake.

This time was different. Renée won the race.

“ I thought I was predisposed to winning.

Devastated, I remember my dad saying, “How do you feel about Renée being faster than you?”

This loss still haunts me. I’m no stranger to bad sports performances—just look at my high school basketball team or my intramural frisbee record from this year—but losing the race affected me more than it should have.

never-give-up attitude—all of which are good things.

The motivation behind these moments of family competition was not ill-placed but rooting my identity in their result was. Basing my identity on how I compared to others worsened my relationship with them and hurt my relationship with myself.

I eventually figured this out through my family’s second take-away message: your siblings are your best friends.

My sister and I bought into this competitive ideology from the beginning. In a family that was prone to overcommitment and would often find themselves in rivalling situations or at basketball tryouts way above our playing level, sure, our competitiveness helped us.

“ I resented her for ‘beating me’ at a game she didnt even know she was playing.

When my speed no longer set me apart, my decisionmaking got rash, and I struggled to balance everything on my plate. I began to see myself losing the imaginary competition I had built within our relationship. I resented her for ‘beating me’ at a game she didn’t even know she was playing.

I had a really hard time fostering a friendship with my competition.

my sister play basketball that my perspective started to change.

I watched her score the shot to win her high school regional basketball championship and I lit up with pure pride and excitement. As her competitor and her best friend, I’d seen the work she’d put in. I knew the effort and the hours behind that basket, and I started to realize her success didn’t have to mean I wasn’t good enough; it could simply mean she’s an amazing athlete, and I could celebrate that.

My brother, sister, and I would not be us without the continued support and eccentricities we get from our family. Our childhood was marked by an obsessively busy schedule, countless hours on the court or field, and the sayings our parents repeated.

My parents love a good takeaway message and are both proponents of contagious competition. Maybe it’s the sports mindset bleeding into every day, or just one of our weird quirks, but because of that, my family has always been internally competitive.

The day I realized my sister was faster than me, we were in the backyard post-BBQ. My dad decided it was time for a race, so I

If you’re the oldest child like me, I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar. Maybe it’s not always a race, but I think it’s normal for parents, friends, and society to expect continued perfection from the eldest child simply because they popped out first.

So much of my identity was rooted in being the firstborn. Even if I didn’t outright show it, I internalized being the responsible one; I knew I was supposed to be the example. Apparently, I was also expected to be the fastest.

Until that day, my family’s internal competitive spirit was exhilarating for me. My dad constantly proposing races and competitions was fun because I thought I was predisposed to winning.

My parents would pit us against each other to foster friendly, healthy competition; they wanted us to be resilient and hardworking and they encouraged a

But so did having a built-in best friend.

Of course, I still loved Renée, and of course, I still wanted the best for her, but I was confused about my role as the eldest sibling. In every other scenario I could think of, the oldest was the best. I started to question why I was the only one who couldn’t measure up.

When I started to apply this concept—celebration instead of competition—our friendship reached a new level. I embraced our friendship with no resentment, and we got even closer.

Whenever I felt uncomfortable or anxious in a new situation, it felt amazing to know my sister was there right beside me. Whatever crazy stuff my parents signed me up for, they signed her up for it, too. Having Renée there helped me perservere through so many things I would have quit without her, and she pushed me—through a little bit of family competition—to keep going and become the person I am today.

As much as I hate to admit it, when she started to beat me in those friendly competitions, it started to affect me. It wasn’t just sports; my sister is the fastest

Looking back now, I see the delusion in that statement, and I see how my sister beating me didn’t show I wasn’t enough; it just demonstrated how our different strengths were developing individually as we got older.

Obviously, I didn’t always have that hindsight. Initially, I resented myself for losing, and Renée for winning. I ignored the areas where I excelled and focused on where I fell short. I didn’t even focus on improving; the competition didn’t push me to get better in a healthy way. Instead, I felt like the only firstborn in the world whose little sister could beat her.

It wasn’t until one day I sat in the bleachers and watched

These days, my sister, the rest of my family, and I are still very competitive. Family game night means every player for themselves, and we still jump at any chance to face off on the court. But now, my identity doesn’t hinge on my performance. I’m more aware of my individual strengths, and I have immense respect for my siblings’ skills too.

Successes and failures—wins and losses—are a part of life. I’m so thankful that my family taught me resilience through competition, but I’m even more thankful they taught me how to find and foster true friendship despite it all.

Maybe everyone is right and it’s unfair my sister is my best friend—any time we’re on the same team, the competition doesn’t stand a chance.

Sarah believes celebration is better than competition.

PHOTO BY MAIA MCCANN

Sarah

“ My family has always been internally competitive.

“Having Renée there helped me perservere through so many things I would have quit without her.

person I know, but she’s the most dedicated and thoughtful, too.

“ Now my identity doesn’t hinge on my performances.