January 19, 2021

Stop the literary elitism: graphic novels are books, too

Literary elitism has got to go. Last October, S. E. Hinton, author of the beloved classic The Outsiders, took to Twitter to condemn the suggestion that her book be adapted into a graphic novel. She claimed that reading The Outsiders at a young age “shows them they CAN read a book. Not that they c…

January 15, 2021

Watching mature content with your kids: parental sin or learning opportunity?

Allowing children to watch age-inappropriate content with adult supervision isn’t the parental no-no we think it is, but a chance for parents to educate their kids on important issues children’s sh…

January 15, 2021

College sports shouldn’t get a free pass when it comes to pandemic restrictions

College sports are not more important than public health and safety. As Ontario returns to its Phase 1 lockdown, the States does little to curb cases, though people are still expected to adhere to …

January 15, 2021

Queen’s can’t keep tracking EDI progress with retention rates

As it stands, Queen’s measures whether or not it’s creating an inclusive environment through student retention rates. This needs to stop. The most difficult part of implementing equity, diversity, …

As we integrate more with technology, unplugging is no longer the solution

November 26, 2020

Even before the pandemic, smartphones and laptops were attached to us by the hip. Over the past few months, this invasion of technology into our lives has only been exacerbated as we work from home…

Arts students deserve more credit

November 26, 2020

Despite the creativity and perseverance necessary to pursue a degree and career in the arts, Arts students are consistently labelled as less motivated, less driven, and less realistic than their ST…

Online proctoring unfairly punishes cheaters and non-cheaters alike

November 20, 2020

With exam season just weeks away, universities are turning to online proctoring software like Examity and Proctortrack to prevent cheating. Professors have every right to enforce academic integrity…

Don’t fear the media. Fear Trump’s Twitter account.

November 20, 2020

There are a lot of things wrong with American culture—a complete disregard for other people, the miraculous ability to politicize every aspect of life, and ridiculous disbelief in science all come …

Even with positive representation, we can’t rely on film as drivers of social change

November 20, 2020

A recent Varsity article argues the film industry fails to accurately depict the realities of poverty. While this is true to a certain extent, we can’t expect more authentic movies to be the driver…

Canada must address anti-Indigenous racism within medicine

November 13, 2020

Protests broke out this summer when an Indigenous woman named Joyce Echaquan died in a Quebec hospital, shortly after live streaming on Facebook. In the video, she detailed racist verbal abuse she’…

During the pandemic and online classes, Queen’s must continue offering support for students

November 13, 2020

With classes now online, many students are restricted to their homes when completing course work this year, whether in the University District or scattered across the globe. To support all its stud…

Canada can’t turn a blind eye to Indigenous deaths linked to B.C. group home

November 13, 2020

Numerous deaths have been linked to an Indigenous group home in B.C. The home has seen the deaths of five Indigenous teens both while in the care of the home and after ageing out of it. While the C…

Universities need more addiction recovery programs

November 6, 2020

This fall, the University of Windsor is offering a recovery program for students battling addiction. It’s only the second Canadian university to do so. The fact that recovery programs aren’t more a…

Despite good intentions, cancel culture has lost all meaning

November 6, 2020

We often talk about being cancelled with a sense of finality, but ‘cancel culture’ isn’t ruining careers; it’s just a discursive shorthand. Public personae have always been dependent on popularity,…

To overcome hurdles to media access, we need to embrace publicly funded journalism

November 6, 2020

Facebook and Google have become the gatekeepers of our newsfeeds. But this is only part of a much larger problem. Access to unbiased journalism is vital, but so is funding that journalism. Going fo…

Working moms deserve more support in the workplace

November 3, 2020

According to a 2020 survey, one in four women are thinking about quitting their jobs. This isn’t because they can’t handle the work—it’s because women are expected to be both mothers and model empl…

Instead of bashing TikTok, let’s embrace its mental health benefits

November 3, 2020

TikTok has taken social media by storm with its trendy 15 to 30-second dances, leading every social media user to have at least seen or attempted a dance from TikTok. But the app isn’t always recei…

Removing Indigenous history from Canadian curriculum is racist

November 3, 2020

Recent proposals obtained by CBC suggest cutting references to residential schools and equity in Alberta’s school curriculums. This not only reflects the unjust pushing of a political agenda but is…

Without safety of Black students in the classroom, there is no academic freedom

October 22, 2020

More than 30 professors at the University of Ottawa recently penned a letter in support of Lieutenant-Duval, a white professor who faced backlash after saying the N-word during a lecture. Despite p…

Ms. Understood? Male-centric healthcare remains the biggest threat to women’s health

October 22, 2020

If you’re a woman, you’re at a greater risk of being misdiagnosed and improperly treated in common medical situations—period. In medicine, the methods for evaluating, diagnosing, and treating dis…

Universities should encourage exam deferrals—when students really need them

October 20, 2020

Exam deferrals are often treated as shameful things students should avoid at all costs. In reality, an exam deferral is a valuable resource for students who may be struggling with their mental heal…

As parties continue, Deane must make good on his threat of expulsion

October 20, 2020

On Sept. 16, Principal Patrick Deane announced that students who ignore provincial regulations of social distancing will be reviewed under the Student Code of Conduct and could face the sanction of…

AMS fall referendum statements

October 19, 2020

The Journal provides free space in our print edition and online for parties on the referendum ballot. All statements are unedited. This year, the fall referendum will take place on October 21st and…

We need to normalize female sexuality

October 16, 2020

The policing of women’s sexuality is pervasive throughout society. Women are expected to be pretty but not too pretty, smart but not too smart, sexy but not slutty. The female body is critiqued in …

Single-use plastics ban ignores a larger problem: carbon emissions

October 16, 2020

The Liberals’ single-use plastics ban is set to take effect next year, including items like takeout containers, plastic cutlery, and straws. There’s no doubt this is a positive step forward from an…

When it comes to equality at Queen’s, Deane is a broken record

October 16, 2020

A recent Financial Post article criticized Patrick Deane’s recent editorial apologizing for Queen’s racist past. We do need to criticize Deane’s editorial; not because of the stance he takes in it,…

When it comes to Zoom cameras, professors should respect student boundaries

October 8, 2020

Many professors are using live Zoom calls to replicate in-person lectures. But no matter what technology we have at our fingertips, online classes will never live up to in-person ones. Mandating st…

We need to diversify the comedy scene

October 8, 2020

Our conception of comedy is constantly changing. As the comedy scene continues to evolve, we must support a diverse range of comedians and comedy, if only because good humour is subjective, not uni…

Despite fearmongering, GMOs are the key to a healthy and sustainable future

October 8, 2020

A lot of plant-based foods at the grocery store are labeled ‘non-GMO’—as if genetically modified crops should be avoided. In reality, we ought to embrace the technology. Genetic modification to …

Yoga should be a viable alternative to traditional high school gym class

October 6, 2020

High school relies too heavily on traditional models of exercise—but just because something is traditional doesn’t mean it’s beneficial to everyone. Yoga has proved itself to be a worthwhile skill …