October 23, 2009
Vol. 137, Issue 15

The new student centre has three gyms, a bigger Common Ground coffeehouse, a food court, a fireside lounge and club space. (Tyler Ball)

Queen’s Centre set to open in December

After a flood postponed the Queen’s Centre’s September opening, the building is on track to open Dec. 1, acting Vice-Principal (Operations and Finance) Bill Bryck said. “We’re moving at a good pace,” he said, adding that most of the damage caused by the severe rainstorm on Aug. 11 has been fixed.

Ontario tuition highest, study says

Ontario universities have the highest tuition fees in Canada, according to a Statistics Canada report released on Tuesday. Ontario university students pay, on average, just under $6,000 a year, whereas students in Quebec pay, on average, just under $2,300.

Access issue open for debate

The near-limitless access to scholarship and research university students enjoy may soon become universal if John Willinsky has anything to say about it. Willinsky, Stanford University education professor and an advocate for open access in the academic community, is the keynote speaker at Open Access Week @ Queen’s. His talk is today at noon in Dunning Hall, room 12.

Feministing 101

Feministing, ranked by blog search engine Technorati as the 31st most-popular blog in the United States, launched its North American campus tour at Queen’s on Tuesday. Feministing editors Courtney Martin, Miriam Perez and Vanessa Valenti gave a panel discussion to a full auditorium in Humphrey Hall on gender issues.

Fall referendum goes online

It’s no more pencils and no more books when students vote in the AMS fall referendum next week. This year, students will cast online ballots using their Queen’s NetID and a password sent to their webmail accounts, AMS Internal Affairs Commissioner Lucas Anderson said.

From West to the west

Saed Abu-Hijleh almost didn’t make it past Pearson Airport officials to get into Canada. After arriving in Toronto this week, the Palestinian geography professor was held for four hours and questioned about his intentions for visiting.

AMS fall referendum statements

The Journal provides this free space for parties on the ballot. All statements are unedited.

News in Brief

Think reduction, not rank

The Copenhagen summit starting Dec. 7, 2009 is a chance to negotiate a new international treaty addressing climate change, columnist Simon Jackson for CBC News reported Oct. 19. According to Jackson, the Copenhagen treaty is poised to effect more change than did the Kyoto Protocol given the rise in public support for environmental issues in the “new, post-Inconvenient Truth world.”

Prospecting the oil sands

On Oct. 15, AMS Assembly voted 14 to 12 to not put the following question on the fall referendum: "That Queen’s University divest the Queen’s University endowment funds from any company financing or contracting in the Albertan Oil Sands.”

Feelings mixed about student drinking

Like many university students, Justin Lum, ArtSci ’10, found his first year at Queen’s revolved heavily around the consumption of alcohol. “Prior to coming to university, I never drank heavily. When I got here I sort of went on a binge,” he said, adding that he sometimes went out five nights in a week his first year.

Alvin and the experimentals

This year Tone Deaf 8 brings an experimental sound adventure to campus through the genius of experimental composer Alvin Lucier and some of his critically-acclaimed students. Working with Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, Queen’s University and the Agnes Etherington Arts Center, the festival will include lectures, performances and visual art.

To ’bee or not to ’bee?

It was a cold evening by anyone’s standards when I wandered behind West Campus’s Jean Royce Hall a few weeks back in search of the ultimate frisbee team. Shivering slightly but enthusiastic to observe, I settled along the sidelines of the field not entirely sure of what to expect from my next hour or two with the team.

Written in the stars or just the papers?

For generations, human beings have searched the stars for cosmic wisdom. Astrology has been a phenomena studied and practiced throughout the ancient civilizations of Europe, Asia and Africa, only to re-emerge in Western popular culture.

Issue in Photos

View all images from volume. 137 issue 15