University Archives - Queen's Journal

Academic freedom is no excuse for racism in the classroom

Written on November 19, 2021. Posted in Editorials.

On university campuses, ‘academic freedom’ can sometimes be code for racism. Last fall, University of Ottawa professor Verushka Lieutenant-Duval was suspended after using an anti-Black racial slur in her classroom. A recent open letter signed by past and current faculty demand the University apologize...

Canada’s university admissions process fails to make the grade

Written on March 22, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Though Canada doesn’t currently face the same bribery challenges levied against U.S. colleges, our own host of inequities are inherent in our university application system. In the recent U.S. college admissions bribery scandal, a number of wealthy parents paid to doctor their children’s standardized...

Loneliness is as surmountable as it is common

Written on March 5, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Loneliness is pervasive. It impacts everybody regardless of personality type, number of friends, or amount of socializing. And if left ignored, it can exacerbate declining mental and physical health. At Queen’s, where students pride themselves on their accomplishments and activities, it can be difficult...

Boring classes have purpose

Written on February 1, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

When asked about his days as a chowder-pot scrubber in southeastern Connecticut, Casey Neistat—one of YouTube’s most revered vloggers and filmmakers—said: “If you don’t know what you want to do in life, spend as much time as possible doing something you absolutely hate.” With regards to contemporary...

Don't replace health with self-care

Written on January 22, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

While self-care is important, treating it as a cure-all for school-related stress, poor mental health, and general wellness can be dangerous. In its most basic form, self-care is about prioritizing our physical and mental health amidst our hectic schedules. But in recent years companies have capitalized...

Queen’s looking to sell women’s penitentiary

Written on November 24, 2017. Posted in News.

After purchasing the former Prison for Women located at 40 Sir John A. MacDonald Boulevard in 2008, Queen’s has announced that it’s going to market. The University has never used the eight-acre property, which was purchased for $2.9 million. Established in 1934, the prison was the only federal women’s...

Queen’s student avoids sexual assault charge, convicted of common assault

Written on August 31, 2017. Posted in News.

This article talks about sexual assault, and may be triggering for some readers. Updated Sept. 1 at 5:13 p.m. with statement from Kingston Police and AMS Social Issues Commissioner. On August 25, Queen’s student Chance Macdonald was sentenced to two years’ probation along with 88 days of intermittent...

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...

Sometimes, an inactive statement is action too

Written on February 16, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

While boycotting United States conferences in reaction to Donald Trump’s immigration ban doesn’t take action on the issue, it makes a statement. An online petition calling for a boycott of academic conferences in the United States garnered over 6,000 signatures from scholars. The boycott is in opposition...

Forbes names Queen's as best Canadian Employer

Written on February 10, 2017. Posted in News.

On Feb. 8, Forbes published their annual rankings of Canada’s Best Employers. In a drastic ascend from 17th last year, Queen’s topped the list at number one. The list, which included 300 of the country’s most favourable companies functioning in a range of sectors, factored in nearly 5,900 listed...

I’m not your racism meter

Written on October 20, 2015. Posted in Editorials.

I know that as a student at Queen’s — a school with a diversity problem — there’d be a risk of facing racism. What I didn’t expect was to be turned into everyone’s token person of colour (POC) friend that they could use as a point of reference. Because I’m Sri Lankan, I’m expected to answer questions...

One year later

Written on April 2, 2015. Posted in Opinions.

Michele Charlton, ArtSci ’14 When I was in first year, I was often told by upper-year students that, “Queen’s is more than just a university”. As I spent more time on campus, I slowly started to realize what this statement really meant. Queen’s is more then just an academic institution; it’s a community...

St. Pat’s stable

Written on March 20, 2015. Posted in News.

Kingston’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations saw a decrease in calls for service and Liquor Licence Act tickets, along with positive messaging from the AMS. A March 18 Kingston Police media release showed a city-wide decline in calls for service on St. Patrick’s Day — from 131 in 2014 to 126 this year....

Racism alive but subtle at Queen’s

Written on February 27, 2015. Posted in Features.

In her first week at Queen’s, Toni Akinwumi was approached by an intoxicated female student who said, “Oh my God, there’s a black chick. Oh my God, that’s crazy. I have no black friends — be my friend.” Akinwumi, ArtSci ’15, said she felt their motivation for hanging out with her had much less to...

Pressure on professors

Written on January 30, 2015. Posted in Opinions.

Elaine Power Since 2004, I have been teaching HLTH 101 — Social Determinants of Health — here at Queen’s. The size of HLTH 101 was stable for many years at 400 and then 450 students, drawn from all over the University. In the summer of 2013, I received a frantic message from our undergraduate coordinator...

Drink or don't: it's your choice

Written on November 14, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

For a first-year teetotaler, abstaining from alcohol was an isolating decision. Going into university as a non-drinker, my high school friends joked that I would have trouble fitting in. Yet I remained optimistic that there would be plenty of others like me at Queen’s, and that my choice to be sober...

Queen's stands steady in Maclean's University Rankings

Written on November 7, 2014. Posted in News.

Maclean’s University Rankings for 2015 have been released, seeing Queen’s retain its fourth-place position in the medical-doctoral category. The Maclean’s Rankings place universities into one of three categories — medical-doctoral, for universities with medical schools and Ph.D....

Queen’s has failed sexual assault survivors

Written on October 17, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Queen’s administration should be condemned for lacking an official policy for handling sexual assaults on campus. Currently, if a student wishes to file a sexual assault case with the University, their only option is the Human Rights Office (HRO), which treats instances of sexual assault as sexual...

You go, Chicago

Written on October 8, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

The University of Chicago’s plan to increase the economic diversity of its undergraduate population helps establish equal opportunities for students of all economic backgrounds. The plan eliminates loans, guarantees paid summer internships, forgoes application fees and provides additional support...

Knowledge over profit

Written on October 3, 2014. Posted in Opinions.

Emily Pascall, ArtSci ’15 University students are constantly told that employment and income are what matters after graduation. The transformation of universities from institutions of higher learning to a hiring pool for the corporate world, though, has harmed the actual purpose of post-secondary...

Queen’s rises in QS World rankings

Written on September 26, 2014. Posted in News.

The QS World University Rankings have been released and Queen’s ranked 187th, with an overall score of 55.5 out of 100 and a rise of two spots from last year. The rankings are based on several different factors, including academic reputation, where Queen’s scored 60.4 of 100; employer reputation,...

Video apps a folly solution

Written on September 19, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Goucher College went too far with their drastic revision to the school’s application process. The Baltimore college will permit applicants to submit a video of themselves and some samples of their high school work, instead of transcripts and standardized test scores. The intention behind the new process,...

Queen’s grads head to college

Written on September 12, 2014. Posted in Features.

In 2012, Justin Andrews decided that university and law school weren’t for him. Enrolled at Queen’s for two years until he transferred across town to St. Lawrence College, Andrews said he could no longer see a future job coming out of the philosophy degree he was pursuing. “Even the guidance counselors...

CrossFit caught in crossfire

Written on May 27, 2014. Posted in Opinions.

The conflict that took place between CrossFit Tricolour and Queen’s administration this past year has left me feeling like the University cares more about protecting the status quo than pursuing student-driven innovation and change. After one very successful semester of operations, the University...

Queen’s plans to add 3,000 students over next two years

Written on May 27, 2014. Posted in News.

Senate has approved enrolment targets for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years, as well as issuing projections for the 2016-17 year. The figures were included in a report put forward by the Strategic Enrolment Management Group (SEMG) on March 26. According to the report, the University is seeking...

Custodial jobs thrown out

Written on April 3, 2014. Posted in News.

Two weeks ago, the University, citing budget cuts, laid off 17 members of custodial staff and reduced hours for six others, generating an angry response from members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 229. Seventeen people with non-continuing appointments will not have these contracts...

University admission test a non-starter

Written on March 14, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Canadian universities shouldn’t institute an admissions test; doing so would simply add additional hurdles and stress, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds. An editorial published last Thursday in the Globe and Mail entitled “Why top Canadian universities should add an admissions...

Canadian schools fall overall

Written on March 14, 2014. Posted in News.

The reputations of three Canadian universities have slightly decreased, as per the Times Higher Education (THE) World Reputation Rankings 2014. According to THE’s website, these rankings determine the “top 100 most powerful global university brands” by compiling the judgment of academics invited to...

Professors strike, their right

Written on February 7, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

While the negative effects of faculty strikes are significant, university professors should continue to exercise their right to strike as they see fit. An editorial published Tuesday in Maclean’s on Campus entitled “Striking professors are blinded by greed” admonishes full-time professors in Canada...

Uni blues

Written on January 24, 2014. Posted in Editorials.

Some might say I came to Queen’s for the wrong reasons. Tradition dictates that arts students don’t go to university for career preparation. Instead, we come to this place of “higher learning” to develop skills in critical thinking, reading, writing and analysis. If you want practicality, you go to...

Tag: University

The Journal, Queen's University - Since 1873

Get the App

Get the App