diversity Archives - Queen's Journal

In an industry gatekept by nepotism and whiteness, I have to seek my own creative catharsis

Written on January 28, 2022. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

No matter where I go, I see media reflecting a society that centers on whiteness, no matter how “inclusive” they claim to be. Growing up, I was filled with a silent frustration towards almost every show and movie I interacted with. There were always caveats and conditions to representation: you can...

Fall Term Break Task Force hosts consultations

Written on October 7, 2021. Posted in News.

To make comprehensive recommendations on future fall term breaks, Queen’s Fall Term Break Task Force launched a survey for the Queen’s community. READ MORE: Senate will take up motion to extend fall term break pilot William Nelson, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) at the Faculty of Arts and...

Queen’s action group aims to improve climate for gender and sexual diversity

Written on June 28, 2021. Posted in News.

After committing to improving Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII) standards within the university sphere, Queen’s has launched a working group to improve the climate for gender and sexual diversity. The Provost’s Action Group for Gender and Sexual Diversity (PAGGAS) was formed in...

Supporting a culturally diverse campus is essential

Written on March 19, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

When it comes to teaching students about other cultures, the way schools go about teaching them is vital. Orientalism continues to pervade Western curriculum. Instead of taking a nuanced approach to giving students a clear understanding of different nations, Western society too often lumps people...

Queen’s launches student experience survey

Written on March 12, 2021. Posted in News, University.

Beyond the limestone buildings and trailing ivy, Queen’s is trying to get a picture of how students experience campus. The Queen’s Student Experience Survey is a survey designed to collect information about the current campus climate and issues facing students. It’s available for completion from March...

Women in Music president discusses organization’s push beyond gender equity to other areas of diversity

Written on November 20, 2020. Posted in Arts.

According to its president, Nicole Barsalona, the Women in Music (WIM) organization encourages storytelling as a way to inspire younger musicians and show them what’s possible. “We hope to empower women in their roles to feel more comfortable and confident and give them that network,” she said in...

We need to diversify the comedy scene

Written on October 8, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

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 universal. Some people claim society is becoming too sensitive, “censoring” comedians unnecessarily. While...

Literary canons are flawed, and our courses should reflect that

Written on October 2, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Introductory English classes, like ENGL100 and 200, are typically composed of texts by white men. While these texts are pulled from the literary canon, and no doubt have merit, they aren’t diverse. And that’s a problem. Queen’s has Indigenous Lit and Women’s Lit courses, but that doesn’t excuse the...

Universities should acknowledge unique experiences of separate minorities, not lump them in together

Written on September 22, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

A story originally titled “Too Asian?” appeared in Maclean’s in 2010, suggesting that Asian students were not only a threat to the admissions process but that if other minorities only worked hard enough, they could be as represented in university populations too. This logic is a racist fallacy universities...

How the new Best Picture criteria fits into the Oscars’ diversity problem

Written on September 15, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

In January 2015, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of nominees for that year’s Oscars. In the four acting categories, all 20 nominations went to white actors. One fan, April Reign, tweeted out her frustration with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. It went viral. Yet, 2016’s...

Commentary: lack of diversity manifests on stage and behind the scenes in Queen’s theatre

Written on July 27, 2020. Posted in Arts.

Dhanish Chinniah, director of 2019’s Fun Home, was the second visible minority to direct a Queen’s Musical Theatre production since 2012. In an interview with The Journal, Chinniah, ArtSci ’19, openly recognized the incredible opportunity of having full creative control over a musical as a student...

It’s time to start decolonizing methods of mental wellness

Written on March 6, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Mental wellness isn’t a one-method-fits-all system—especially for people of colour (POC). It’s essential for the university mental wellness system to move away from painting everyone seeking support with the same brush, and, instead, to start diversifying their approaches to mental health. This...

Oscars 2020: Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, and more

Written on February 13, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

After a few years of controversy over the lack of diversity in nominees and award-winners, the 2020 Oscars saw audiences reasonably content with this year’s results. Korean director Bong Joon-ho became the first foreign creator to win Best Picture. He now shares Walt Disney’s 67-year-old record for...

Diversity in Canadian media should start on campuses

Written on February 4, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Student newspapers are the training grounds for the next generation of journalists—and the starting points for much-needed newsroom diversification. A Globe and Mail opinion from Amy O’Kruk, a former Western Gazette editor-in-chief, Western University’s student newspaper, articulated the important...

Strength in numbers is clear for Queen’s female politicians

Written on January 17, 2020. Posted in Features.

Jessica Dahanayake (Sci ’20), AMS vice-president (Operations), sometimes second-guesses herself in her role as part of the Society’s executive. The student politician says these doubts are intertwined with concerns about how she is perceived as a woman in a political position. According to research...

Patrick Deane talks diversity and social equity at forum

Written on January 17, 2020. Posted in News.

At Principal Patrick Deane’s first open forum of the semester on Tuesday, he answered questions about diversity and student equity groups. The forums, which Deane calls the “principal’s conversations,” are a series of open meetings with the Queen’s community, hosted by Deane, to inform the University’s...

Netflix should be held accountable for ingenuine commitments to diverse TV

Written on October 18, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

With evidence showing diversity attracts bigger audiences and greater profit, it’s unsurprising TV has recently been overwhelmed with voices that have traditionally been silenced. It’s also no surprise that, in recent months, Netflix—the streaming giant and production company—has advertised itself...

At first Trustees meeting, principal pledges to restructure office for accessibility

Written on October 1, 2019. Posted in News.

The Board of Trustees gathered for its first meeting of the 2019-20 academic year on Sept. 27—marking Principal Patrick Deane’s first official appearance in front of the Board since he assumed his office on July 1. Principal’s Remarks In his report to Trustees, Deane said he wants to restructure the...

Lizzo’s possible Grammy nomination is a win for music industry diversity

Written on September 5, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Lizzo’s hit empowering song “Truth Hurts” is poised to be nominated for the 2020 Grammys—two years after its initial release. This summer, “Truth Hurts” shot up to number four on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s what’s commonly called a sleeper hit—a song that becomes successful a while...

BuzzFeed layoffs show its neglect of diverse voices

Written on January 29, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Last Friday, American news and entertainment platform BuzzFeed began rolling out layoffs which will eventually reduce the company’s staff by 15 per cent. With less than a week’s warning, BuzzFeed lost a large chunk of its staff and some of its most valuable content. Many of the creators laid off were...

Queen’s hosts first Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival

Written on March 29, 2018. Posted in Arts.

From March 20-28, the Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival (DIFF) hosted a tour of world cultures from Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) Hall in the JDUC. The event featured five films: Bran Nue Dae, Queen of Katwe, About Elly, Confucius and Cairo Drive, each one set in a different...

Hollywood still isn't diverse enough

Written on February 2, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

This weekend, the highly anticipated film Black Panther opened to huge success, smashing box office records in Hollywood. But the film isn’t significant only for its prompt financial success it also marks one of very few films to come out of Hollywood in recent years with an all-Black cast, a Black...

University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity Committee members selected

Written on January 12, 2018. Posted in News.

On Dec. 6, Queen’s announced the members of the inaugural University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity (UCARE). Over a month later, the 17 members are now starting work on a broad mandate to “help shape the vision and strategy of the University” on matters of racism, diversity and inclusion on campus. The...

Point / Counterpoint: Should privileged writers represent marginalized communities?

Written on November 24, 2017. Posted in Arts.

YES Sarina Grewal Assistant News Editor Diversity in literature is a strength: it allows for the presentation of new ideas and can educate readers about the experiences of others. For authors, tackling diversity means facing their own positionality: can a white person write about a person of...

Student Affairs introduces new position of Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

Written on November 17, 2017. Posted in News.

In an effort to promote a more equitable campus, the Division of Student Affairs has created the new position of Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator. The role was established in accordance with recommendations from the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (PICRDI)...

Open forum discusses Concord Floral casting diversity

Written on October 24, 2017. Posted in Arts.

Drama students, faculty and alumni gathered in Kingston Hall last Friday to consider Queen’s Drama department’s track record with diverse casting in the wake of the Concord Floral casting controversy. Concord Floral, a 2014 play by Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill, is an eerie suburban thriller,...

Students & staff respond to TRC & PICRDI reports

Written on October 13, 2017. Posted in News.

After reviewing final reports released by two of the University’s most recently developed committees, the Queen’s community met on October 11 to share their thoughts on issues of equity, diversity and Indigenous inclusion on campus. Students, staff and faculty were invited to Mackintosh-Corry Hall...

The Bachelorette used racism as plot fodder

Written on July 31, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

The first time I watched the Bachelor was in 2015: the first semester of my second year, my housemates insisted I watch the show with them in our kitchen. I agreed, not expecting myself to find it engaging in any way. Instead, that day, I become more invested in the show than I care to admit. The...

Racism, Diversity and Inclusion final report brought to Senate

Written on April 18, 2017. Posted in News.

After 12 weeks of intensive consultations and drafting, the Principal’s Implementation Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion (PICRDI) presented its final report to Principal Daniel Woolf on April 10, outlining a potential future for racial inclusion at Queen’s. The report is extensive, spanning...

Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion presents recommendations

Written on March 17, 2017. Posted in News.

Before hearing the entire question, Yolande Chan gave a one-word answer to what the biggest obstacle will be for the newly formed Committee on Racism, Diversity and Inclusion: “time.” The Committee, which Chan co-chairs, presented their recommendations for the future of Queen’s practices over the...

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