For the third year in a row, the Red Hat volunteers were among the first to arrive and the last to leave Aberdeen Street yesterday. Coming early to set up and staying late to clear the street, the 140 to 200 Red Hat volunteers were a visible and visibly appreciated presence on Aberdeen Street last night.

Both the partiers and the police increased their numbers this year. Insp. Brian Cookman of the Kingston Police said there were about 300 officers on the street, about 150 of whom were from out of town.

Neither cool weather nor self-defence sprays could dampen the spirits of the 6,000 to 7,000 partiers on Aberdeen Street last night.
Kingston Frontenac Emergency Services reported more than 30 incidents in relation to the street party. St. John Ambulance treated 22 to 24 cases, 11 of which were a result of an assault involving what paramedics suspect was pepper spray, said St. John Ambulance first aid attendant Steve Giberson.

All virtual eyes and ears won’t be on Aberdeen on Saturday night as a result of pressure by the University to take down a webcam overlooking Aberdeen Street. The ABERDEENcam, posted at the southwest corner of William and Aberdeen Streets, was the brainchild of Ian Macdonald, Comm ’09, and David Phillips, Comm ’09 and ArtSci ’09.

For Queen’s students and out-of-towners alike, Homecoming weekend has become synonymous with the Aberdeen Street party, an annual gathering that drew an estimated 4,000 to 6,500 people to the street last year. But in spite of the notoriety of the event, some students choose to ignore the Homecoming hype and find alternative means to occupy themselves.

As people pour into Kingston for 2008 Homecoming weekend, the emergency departments at Kingston General and Hotel Dieu Hospitals are preparing for a chaotic weekend. Mike MacDonald, program manager for the emergency department at Kingston General Hospital, said Homecoming weekend has produced a predictable influx of people into the emergency room for alcohol-related illnesses.

The AMS is assuring students that all of their private information has been accounted for. Three weeks ago, the Journal was anonymously delivered a box containing confidential memos and e-mails, as well as a number of T4 forms of 2007-08 AMS staff.

In the past week, Queen’s has been hit with multiple reported incidents of anti-Islamic crimes.
Within the span of two days, the Queen’s University Muslim Students Association (QUMSA) has been the target of a break-in to their club space and a vandalized poster in the JDUC.

Aberdeen is getting green for Homecoming 2008. This year, the Red Hat volunteers will be switching to environmentally friendly products to pass out to partygoers on Aberdeen Street the night of Sept. 27.

Between tuition costs, increasing textbook prices and living expenses, university students are used to watching their bank accounts shrink in the name of higher learning. Amongst these large-scale fees, the annual faculty-specific student fee is one payment that often falls under students’ radars.

After being closed for more than a year due to questionable accounting and operating practices, Clark Hall Pub will re-open its doors on Oct. 8.
Engineering Society President Jordan Black, Sci ’09, said EngSoc is expecting a large turnout for the Wednesday night opening.

With Homecoming 2008 fast approaching, the AMS, the police and the University administration are gearing up for another gruelling weekend.
Insp. Brian Cookman of the Kingston Police told the Journal police officers from the OPP will come in to help maintain order on Aberdeen Street on the Saturday night of Homecoming.

Since its launch two weeks ago, Save Our Neighbourhood Action Group (SONAG)’s website, saveourneighbourhood.ca, has been eliciting responses of all kinds from Queen’s staff and students.
The website includes photo galleries of student parties spilling out onto lawns and streets, and includes the addresses of the houses where the parties were held. The photos were taken by SONAG founder and former city councillor Don Rogers.
Arthur Cockfield, associate professor in the faculty of law, said Rogers likely hasn’t committed a criminal offence, but this could change if his activities harass or criminally defame Ghetto residents.

The Common Ground is going green one cup of coffee at a time with the introduction of non-toxic, biodegradable hot coffee cups. The new environmentally sustainable cups are supplied by Toronto-based environmental sustainability resource firm GreenShift. The Tea Room, Coffeeco and the Sleepless Goat also use GreenShift products.

The Queen’s School of Business and the Commerce Society are shelling out a total of $46,000 to keep ICBC alive. Queen’s Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) came under financial scrutiny when it was announced earlier this year the competition experienced a revenue shortfall of $37,000.

Due to an oversight in the transfer of files, AMS employees from the 2007-08 school year were put at risk for identity theft.
Last week, the Journal was anonymously delivered a box of documents containing dozens of confidential AMS employee T4 forms, as well as memos and e-mails regarding employee terminations and pay advances.
The documents were stolen from boxes accidentally left outside the locked storage room in which they’re usually kept by AMS Controller Scott Bell.