Let’s have a safe Homecoming

Consider Queen’s reputation when partying on Aberdeen Street

Partygoers gather on Aberdeen Street for Homecoming 2006.
Image supplied by: Journal File Photo
Partygoers gather on Aberdeen Street for Homecoming 2006.

This Saturday many of us will be on Aberdeen Street. Some will be there as partiers, others working as volunteer “Red Caps” and most will be there just to see what the fuss is about.

Many will not be Queen’s students—they may be from a local high school, other Canadian universities or just in for a weekend of partying. But regardless of whoever is actually there tomorrow night, the Aberdeen Street party is seen both locally and nationally as a “Queen’s event.” And it’s this event that has been a point of endless discussions between students, the University, the community and the city over the last number of years.

So what does this mean to us as Queen’s students? Well for me it means being a “Red Hat Volunteer” on Saturday night, outfitted this year in blue headgear. For others it may simply involve looking out for yourself and your friends over the next few days. If we ignore everything else, Aberdeen still has the possibility of becoming, in large part because of the size of the crowd, something very dangerous for anyone who’s there.

In 2005, the Aberdeen Street party resulted in thousands of partygoers packing the street, which was littered with broken glass, and ended with a car being flipped over and set on fire. The most obvious and most significant difference last year was the attitude of the crowd. Walking through Aberdeen, it was clear people were there to have a good time, not to be destructive. It is my sincere hope and belief that’s how students feel this year. There are, however, a lot of people working on improving the safety and lessening the risks associated with that street. A group of community members has recruited hundreds of students, faculty, staff and Kingston residents who will walk through Aberdeen Street, passing out water and exchanging plastic cups for beer bottles. Kingston’s city council also granted the AMS’s request for a street closure. Last year, this street closure made a huge difference, allowing volunteers to work safely and the police to focus on crowd control. First aid was available at the corner of Johnson and Aberdeen Streets, as they will be again this year. All of these things were important parts of why Sept. 16, 2006 wasn’t a repeat of the year before. Over the past two weeks the message of “be safe” has been reiterated in a number of different ways. There have been posters, e-mails and Facebook campaigns by the AMS, the University, the police and other students. In concrete terms this message of safety simply means use common sense. It’s not really something that is hard to understand. Just look out for your personal safety and the safety of the people around you.

Don’t go up on overcrowded balconies or roof and porch awnings; wear protective footgear and watch where you step; don’t set off fireworks; get out of the way of ambulances and emergency personnel; and make sure that you are with someone you know at all times—with so many people there, it is easy to get disoriented. Again, these are fairly simple things to keep in mind, but they will go a long way to making sure that you and the people around you are safe.

Finally, it’s important keep in mind that throughout this weekend we will be under local and national scrutiny. So really think about what this weekend means for Queen’s and what we as Queen’s students want it to become. But, no matter what you are up to tomorrow night, especially if you choose to go to Aberdeen Street, just remember to be safe.

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Kaitlyn Young is the AMS Municipal Affairs Commissioner. If you’re interested in helping the Aberdeen Street volunteers, register at aberdeenvolunteers.ca or go to the KCVI parking lot at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. tomorrow night. If you have any questions e-mail aberdeenvolunteers@hotmail.com.

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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