Hector insults all non-military students
Dear Editors,
Re: “Reluctant council to close Aberdeen” (Journal, Oct. 9, 2007)
As a graduate student here at Queen’s, I am not proud of the events that seem to inevitably occur each Homecoming weekend. I freely admit there are a number of students out there who make terrible choices, doubtlessly fuelled by the hype of what they mistakenly assume to be ‘tradition.’ However, this feeling of shame is nothing to what I would feel if I had chosen to be represented by Lakeside district councillor Dorothy Hector.
On Oct. 9, Hector is quoted in the Journal as saying, in response to discussion about Homecoming, “I don’t believe the cream of Canada is at Queen’s. I believe it is across the river. Those men and women of the same age group will give their lives for their community and their country.” Does Hector honestly not realize that by slamming Queen’s students in this way she is inadvertently insulting every university student not associated with the military? Does she not understand that, while we may not be “the cream” of Canada, we, as well as students at RMC, are certainly its future? As students, we have worked hard and diligently to get to Queen’s, which is still one of Canada’s finest universities. I strongly believe that we deserve, in fact, we should demand, more respect than this.
Emily Bamforth
M. Sc. ’08
Living Energy Lab left out of Greenovations
Dear Editors,
Re: “Greenovations lessen students’ eco-footprint” (Journal, Oct. 12, 2007)
We would like to make it known that the Greenovations sustainability project is a joint effort between the Living Energy Lab design team and the AMS Sustainability Co-ordinator.
The Living Energy Lab, an Engineering Society design team that is working to get two student houses off the grid, developed the Greenovations concept during summer 2007, and presented the idea to the AMS Sustainability Co-ordinator in hopes of forming a joint venture. Thus far, we have been very happy with the collaboration, though we have found that the Journal’s coverage has significantly down-played the LEL’s involvement. In “Greenovations lessen students’ eco-footprint,” the LEL was not mentioned at all.
The LEL provides the technical expertise and performs the financial assessments that are integral to the project, recommending technologies to be implemented and identifying reasonable payback periods for the upgrades. Without these inputs, Greenovations would not be successful.
In addition, we are curious as to why the Journal felt it necessary to identify the students’ whose houses had been retrofitted by their positions within the AMS. This information is inconsequential, as these students won their upgrades in a random draw of over 50 entries. This style of reporting perpetuates the AMS’s reputation of nepotism.
We appreciate the Journal’s continued coverage of the Greenovations project, as we believe that educating the public is a crucial step towards a sustainable future.
Jane Brennan and Savi Sanghara
Living Energy Lab Project Co-ordinators and Sci ’08
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.