Less than two years ago, the ‘new’ Conservative government lost its motion to reopen the same-sex marriage debate 175 to 123.

Last week, the Dean of Arts and Science asked professors to read to their classes a letter expressing his deep concern about the offensive conduct of “a small group of students,” citing financial damage due to donors’ disgust, damage to additional government funding due to the negative image of the University and potential personal damage since those convicted on criminal charges face a criminal record and “culpable students face non-academic disciplinary charges from the University”—a joke since discipline is not in the hands of the University but of many of the perpetrators themselves.

Why is it that when some young people leave home, mostly for the first time, they behave in ways that would be unacceptable to their parents and to the community in which they have been brought up?

Within a week of this new school year, fellow Muslim friends and I had already experienced a couple instances of Islamophobia.

The Queen’s Centre Project is currently 40 million dollars over budget and behind schedule.

It came as no shock to most political observers when, acting on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Governor General dissolved parliament and declared a Federal Election for October 14.

Queen’s University encourages within its students an understanding of, and commitment to, good citizenship. The purpose of the student Code of Conduct is to acknowledge the academic and social responsibilities associated with student membership at Queen’s University.

After more than a year of preparation, Queen’s has a new Code of Non-Academic Conduct. The final version drops some of the shoddier clauses of earlier drafts— students are no longer forced to inform on their fellow classmates, for example—but problems remain.

The evening before I was sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court I e-mailed David McDonald, the head of the department of global development studies, to let him know I expected that I would be unable to finish my winter courses.

Stéphane Dion’s recently released carbon tax proposal has brought the climate change debate roaring back to Parliament Hill and has even triggered widespread public discussion.

That budget cuts in the University represent a major threat to academic quality is a truth so obvious it barely needs to be stated.

During the last 67 years we have known many of the Queen’s principals and we consider Robert C. Wallace, David Smith and now Karen Hitchcock to be among the greatest.