Signed Editorial Archives - Queen's Journal

Don’t dilute the quality of the Olympics for personal gain

Written on March 2, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

If you watched Elizabeth Swaney stroll down the halfpipe at the Olympics and thought, “hey, that could’ve been me,” you’re not alone. As a fan of the games, I tune in not to watch just anyone, but rather to see the best in the world compete. More often than not, professional athletes and Olympians...

Your mental health is more than your productivity

Written on January 15, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

The conversation around mental health needs to loosen its emphasis on productivity. For me, that meant recognizing my depression wasn’t self-indulgent. I used to assume that by admitting I was depressed, I would be either a disservice to someone else’s “real” depression or I’d be faking it to avoid...

It's time to educate youth about mental health

Written on November 30, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Introducing early and legitimate education on mental health to young Canadians is vital. Not only would putting resources into education on mental health help to de-stigmatize it, but this shift could also prepare students who may end up dealing with it themselves. I wasn’t exposed to topics on...

Why we can't censor controversial viewpoints

Written on November 24, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Universities serve to challenge our viewpoints, our ideas and our potential to learn and evolve. But when they censor individual viewpoints, they create an even bigger issue. Jordan Peterson, a University of Toronto professor and clinical psychologist, rose to infamy last year when he posted a YouTube...

Academia should have a destination outside of university walls

Written on October 20, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Since their conception in the Middle Ages, universities have been to the benefit of a particularly fortunate — and therefore limited — group. It’s time to reconsider the potential of postsecondary institutions in keeping our broader society well-informed. As a student in Arts and Science, graduate...

Sports are losing their humanity

Written on October 13, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Sports will always be competitive at their core, but often its spiritual aspect is overlooked. The moment where winning becomes secondary and passion comes to the forefront is a human concept that everyone can feel — athletes included. The way competition can push someone to their absolute physical...

Planned Parenthood needs to expand in Canada

Written on October 5, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Planned Parenthood needs more funding, clinics and employees in Canada to be as effective for reproductive care as it is in the United States. Planned Parenthood offers birth control, emergency contraceptives, STI testing, prenatal care, HIV help, pregnancy testing, women and men’s health and abortion...

Hefner's death no loss to the feminist movement

Written on October 2, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

A person who repeatedly declares their love for women isn’t necessarily a women’s rights activist. An aggressively sexual image doesn’t equate sexual liberation or empowerment. This couldn’t be clearer than in the case of Hugh Hefner. Since his September 27 death, many have mourned Playboy magazine...

Stop cutting funding to Ontario's healthcare

Written on September 29, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our universal health care system. It provides life-saving services at a very low cost compared to other developed countries. But what we don’t realize is that our healthcare system is being severely jeopardized by budget cuts, and it will only get worse. Earlier...

Kurdish independence deserves Canadian support

Written on September 26, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Since 2014, Canada and the Kurdish autonomous region have become strong but unlikely partners in the offensive against ISIL in Northern Iraq. On Monday, Iraqi Kurdistan held an independence referendum that could set a mandate for separation from Iraq. However, Monday’s vote could complicate Canada’s...

Being alone doesn’t have to be uncomfortable

Written on September 22, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Learning to be secure with being single is a difficult journey, but it will leave you feeling more whole than any counterpart ever could. In the past seven years, I’ve only been single for a cumulative one year and 10 months. After my most recent relationship ended at the beginning of this summer,...

The opioid epidemic deserves more than lip service

Written on September 19, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

In Canada, your chances of dying in an opioid related overdose are more than the combined probability of a fatal car accident and a homicide. According to Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, that’s eight people per day. Even though this statistic and ongoing epidemic is alarming,...

Divestment from fossil fuels is overdue for Queen’s

Written on September 15, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

The world’s continued use and exploitation of fossil fuels has been scientifically proven to affect the climate. Climate change isn’t just warmer weather around the globe, it’s more rain, more severe weather and more frequent natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Even though Queen’s...

Free prescription medication plan is a huge help to students

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Drugs are about to get a lot cheaper for people under 25. The Liberal government of Ontario introduced the plan in their most recent budget to introduce universal pharmacare for anyone under 25 starting January 1, 2018. Anyone with an OHIP card will have access to free prescription medication as...

Don’t forget about old school journalism

Written on July 31, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Reading and watching short pieces of news might be a quick way to see what’s going on in the world, but a snapshot can’t give you the whole picture. A piece of news that is low-quality and attention seeking is often described as a hot take. The hot take is a part of a growing culture of storytelling...

University is not the only route to success

Written on May 28, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

While we might call Queen’s the ‘only university’, it’s not the only post-secondary institution in town. Although the tri-colour flags throughout Kingston’s downtown streets may suggest otherwise, St. Lawrence College and Royal Military College also call this city home. This unbalanced view on universities...

Wake up, traditional lectures are dozing off

Written on March 3, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Getting the most out of my lectures — some of the time, just staying awake — has been the most impassable obstacle I’ve encountered at Queen’s so far. When the first universities were founded in Western Europe in 1050, they utilized lecturing as the predominant teaching method. In 2017, we’re still...

Sometimes it's ok to break up with your friends

Written on February 14, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Just as much as you should be there for your friends, you should expect them to be there for you. However sometimes, it’s better to let go of a friendship than hold on to something harmful. The adjustment to university isn’t only an academic one but an emotional one. A majority of students aren’t...

Polarizing opinions block productive dialogue

Written on January 13, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

After a tense and divisive online reaction to the controversial countries-themed costume party that happened last semester, I still can’t explain the reason for such polarizing conversations and I’m still not confident about what qualifies as a racist costume. All I could really tell you was that...

Free parks in 2017 isn’t a cause for celebration

Written on November 25, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Free admission to Canada’s national parks is a step in the right direction, but still a walk in the dark. To celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary, admission for all visitors to national parks will be free in 2017. The plan is meant to promote Canada’s national parks, some of which have less than...

Exclusive foundations don’t hold

Written on November 18, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Imagine a group of people who are demographically similar, believing they’re better than other people. What could possibly go wrong? When I accepted my offer of admission to Queen’s, I chose the school that, with its limestone towers, persuaded me I wanted it more than it needed me. Perhaps...

A smoke-free campus won't help students

Written on November 4, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Making campus smoke-free would alienate students who smoke, when what they really need is support and acceptance to help them quit. On Oct. 20, AMS Assembly began with a presentation by a representative of the Ontario Public Health Unit about the possibility of making Queen’s a smoke-free campus....

Stop holding onto outdated traditions

Written on October 21, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

With 175 years under its belt, Queen’s is nationally recognized for its long-lasting traditions and spirited student body. But many of the traditions that students cling to no longer serve a purpose. In their prime, Queen’s traditions were fueled by passion and excitement, creating a sense of togetherness...

Queen's needs a lesson on transparency

Written on October 6, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Queen’s has a transparency problem. I was in first year when BISC Executive Director Bruce Stanley was fired, opening the floodgates to two years of dismissals and resignations on Queen’s’ satellite campus. Before I even knew what The Journal was, I wondered why we — the students impacted by Stanley’s...

Being privileged and being spoiled aren’t one and the same

Written on September 27, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

After spending two years at Queen’s, I’ve noticed a convention that is deeply entrenched in our generation and not often addressed: we don’t discuss our privilege. There’s an unspoken misconception in our culture that an acknowledgment of our privilege is an acknowledgement of our selfishness — that...

Level the playing field for women in sports journalism

Written on September 23, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Last May, when I got the call that I’d been made Assistant Sports Editor at The Journal, I was elated. Since then, the most frequent comment I get when I tell people about my job is that I must get to meet a lot of hot guys. The assumption from my peers is that I’ve taken on my 30-hour-a-week workload...

Make graduation hopeful again, not helpless

Written on September 20, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Graduation should be full of hopes and aspirations, but for many of us, the rugged and sometimes perilous landscape of the twenty-first century job market make graduation caps and gowns look a lot like uniforms of mourning. The Queen’s administration has recently made efforts in some areas to keep...

Never forget, 9/11 continues to effect

Written on September 16, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Alongside the annual commemorations of those lost, the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center also marks something new: the first year that high school freshmen will be reading about 9/11 as a piece of history they weren’t alive for. The attack on the World Trade Center...

Not all zoos are birds of a feather

Written on September 13, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

We’ve all seen a PETA video on Facebook documenting the cruelty that animals sometimes face at the hands of zoos. It makes sense to be angry about their treatment. But these videos aren’t representative of all zoos. In the face of climate change and extinction of species we can’t let them overshadow...

Alternate realities can’t become permanent realities

Written on September 9, 2016. Posted in Editorials.

Hyper-realistic technology has the potential to change the idea of reality as we know it, but not without a cost to the physical world. The introduction of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to game culture, healthcare, educational institutions, social media and even pornography is rapidly...

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