Queen’s students and faculty were saddened by the sudden loss of an outstanding student and friend, Tanh Van Quach, on July 23.
Quach, known to his friends as An, died in a skiing accident while vacationing in Germany.
The infamous Senate Contract for Orientation Leaders may see an increased number of required signatures if changes currently being discussed by Orientation Roundtable (ORT), and members of the AMS are passed.
While currently the more commonly referred to “leader contract” is signed by all frosh group leaders, according to AMS Internal Affairs Commissioner Scott Courtice, Dean of Student Affairs Robert Crawford and AMS Campus Activities Commissioner Ryan Hum, the contract may be extended to upper level orientation committee members and the three members encompassing the ORT — the body who oversees each faculty societies’ frosh week activities.
Instead of settling in and getting reacquainted with old friends, many returning students spent their Orientation Week studying for last year’s final exams. This is just another consequence of the fallout from last spring’s exam chaos, which has seen several Queen’s students scrambling to refresh their memories on the heels of the summer break.
Patrick Kennedy, a third year Queen’s political studies student, has been named a finalist in Magna International’s 2000 ‘As Prime Minister’ Awards national judging program.
As one of over 500 participants in the annual contest, which is run by the Magna for Canada Scholarship Fund and open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students from academic institutions across Canada, Kennedy was required to write an essay addressing the question, “If you were the Prime Minister of Canada, what political vision would you offer to improve our living standards?”
Students who graduated last spring with an Honours Bachelor of Arts may be in for a surprise when they pick up last year’s Tricolour Yearbook.
Anna Miller, ArtSci ’00, who earned an honours degree in a development studies and geography medial, described herself as being “pleasantly surprised” when she saw that in the graduate photo spread she had graduated with a masters in geology.
A steady annual increase in student enrollment at Queen’s and the fast-approaching double cohort year has prompted numerous plans to increase current accommodation facilities.
At present, Queen’s does not have the resources available to provide this influx of students with housing and food services, but this problem will be solved before the class of 2007 arrives. Bob Crawford, dean of student affairs, explained.
After a long bitter strike that began in early June, part-time U of T Bookstore workers and U of T Press, the bookstore’s owners, have finally reached an agreement. Workers will be given a two percent raise this year, and a second two percent raise next year. Currently, part time employees at the bookstore are earning $7.35 an hour. The deal will be up in October 2001. The union and management also negotiated a $50 signing bonus and language for a better grievance procedure, job security and seniority.
A war is raging between McGill University’s student government and one of Canada’s oldest student newspapers.
Executives of the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) locked the staff of the 90-year-old McGill Daily, a founding member of the Canadian University Press, out of their offices August 4. According to Daily staff, the incident is one in a long line of schemes by the SSMU to shut down the paper.
Three years after having the grease pole stolen from them in a car chase, the fourth year applied science students have been vindicated by a stroke of ‘dumb luck’. A group of eight Sci ’01s stole the coveted pole from this year’s Frecs, the Sci ’03s, and ransomed it for an $1800 party in the latest installment of a decades-old rivalry.
According to both administrators and recent graduates of the Queen’s School of Medicine, the Ontario government’s decision to expand medical school enrollment is an important step towards ensuring that physician services are more accessible to Ontarians in the future. However, critics say this undertaking is only a small part of the larger solution required to satisfy this goal.
People who want to try something different than their regular courses now have some new and interesting options. Starting this year, the Alma Mater Society is running Q-College, a program designed to run non-academic courses in a range of activities. Massage therapy, mixology, web design and American Sign Language are the courses the AMS is planning to offer for the 2000-2001 year, with more courses to be added over time. All courses are taught by qualified Queen’s students, except the American Sign Language which is being taught by an outside agency in order to allow participants to receive valid certification.
Johnson Street, between the blocks of University and Division streets, will remain closed until September 20 in order to complete sewer, watermain and road reconstruction. During construction, this area will be closed to through traffic. City Hall has advised motorists to follow posted detour signs.
Lines have been drawn across Ontario following the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ announcement that it intends to allow private universities to be established in the province. In a move which has been toted as the single largest change since the expansion of the post-secondary system in the 1960’s, the plans would allow the establishment of privately-funded degree granting institutions in the province as well as permit Ontario community colleges to offer applied degrees on a pilot project basis.
Labatt’s profile at Queen’s will be lowered next year by sobering sanctions imposed in a recent ruling of the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission. During last fall’s crackdown on keg parties, Kingston Police uncovered involvement by several prominent breweries, including Molson and Sleemans.
While the investigation into Molson’s activities at a party last fall have been dropped for lack of evidence, Sleeman remains under investigation for its role in another Queen’s Homecoming party. To date, Labatt is the only company to be reprimanded by the commission.
Effective February 28, students who have a government loan will skip their usual visit to the local bank and deal directly with government service bureaus that are currently being developed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (HRDC), the federal ministry that operates the national loans program.
Members of the class of 2004 who have a permanent residence room are breathing a sigh of relief as they watch some of their new friends spend the first days of residence life in somewhat uncomfortable surroundings. As in years past, the number of students who requested a room in residence has exceeded the number of rooms available, and the university is scrambling to find these students proper housing.
