Candidates’ respect for ASUS clubs lacking
Dear Editors,
After being involved with ASUS for two years, I was very disappointed to walk into Ontario Hall on Jan. 23 and find that a poster for the ASUS movie theatre’s show (placed two hours before) had been covered completely by two posters for Max Rubin and Lisa Jorgensen’s ASUS election campaign.
Although this may seem like sour grapes from someone who wants his posters seen on campus, I think that the issue is a bit more distressing than that. If Rubin and Jorgensen don’t have respect for ASUS clubs and services now, what reason do we have to believe that they will next year?
In the Journal last Tuesday, Rubin said that he “loves” ASUS. Although he may not have put up the poster personally, his campaign’s indifference for the organization he “loves” leads me to believe that he is not campaigning to better ASUS, but just to better his resume.
Max and Lisa, you’ve made my voting decision 33 per cent easier.
Lawrie Schneider
ASUS Movie Theatre Director
Student turnout at polls commendable
Dear Editors,
On Jan. 23, I worked as a central poll supervisor at the four polls located at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Victoria and Earl Streets. The polls encom much of the student “Ghetto” area. We were armed with extra supplies and a registration officer as we thought that we might get a heavy turnout from the students and wanted to be prepared. To our surprise we were virtually overrun for the entire day by enthusiastic student voters. The line was quite often out the door and down the sidewalk.
Students, laden with backpacks, quietly stood in line often for more than half an hour clutching voter registration cards from every province in Canada that they had brought back with them while at home for Christmas. For most of them this was their first election and their excitement was palpable. Unfortunately, many who had stood in line had to go back to their Kingston residence to retrieve proof that they reside here. Word soon spread and they could be found returning to the line with leases, PUC bills, phone bills, cable bills, credit card statements and other assorted items ing proof of their residency.
Thankfully, the students helped fill out their own registration forms to speed up the process. What could easily have been a stressful day under these busy circumstances at any other central poll, was in fact a very enjoyable one. At no time during the day did I hear one complaint about anything from any elector in our polls, either students or permanent electors.
The polling staff had little if any time for a break and worked flat out the whole time doing their absolute best. Thanks to them for a job well done. To the one student that we had sent off in error to vote at another polling station at Albert and Princess only to be sent back again, our apologies. He must have stood in several lines, and spent an hour and a half before he voted and he thanked me.
I called the returning office for extra supplies and was soon greeted by Returning Officer Jim Keenleyside working his way through the crowd with additional forms and ballots. He was very pleased to see so many students out voting. His comment on leaving was that “these students are impressive.”
I would like to commend Pastor Stephen Scheidt for all his help in setting up our polls in his church and maintaining his joviality upon seeing it so overrun with electors.
We had a total of 1,183 electors vote at our polls and perhaps 50 per cent required registration as new voters, with one poll alone having 461 ballots cast in total.
The polls closed at 9:30 p.m. and it was well past midnight before all results were reported and final paperwork completed. I left for the returning office with all the ballot boxes, driving through the quiet streets of my polls, reflecting on the day. The only words that came to mind were those of the returning officer “these students are impressive.” I totally agree.
Kingston is so fortunate to have them living amongst us.
Greg Parfitt
Central Poll Supervisor,
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
Campus groups lobby for fair trade campus
Dear Editors,
On Jan. 27, the following letter was directed to all AMS executive candidate teams and rector candidates in hopes of commencing dialogue on the pressing issue of fair trade. As of yesterday, we have received only one response. Rector candidate Tom Woodhall was both ive of our requests and our efforts to open discourse on this matter. We have yet to receive responses or even recognition of receipt of the letter from the other rector candidates or any of the AMS teams.
Throughout the world workers are being exploited—the coffee industry is one of the worst abs. Increased knowledge by consumers of the deplorable conditions faced by coffee farmers has resulted in the growth of fair trade coffee markets. The fair trade movement is international in scope, establishing international standards on products in order to reduce poverty by guaranteeing farmers a fair and stable price, guaranteeing a greater respect for the environment, guaranteeing small farmers a stronger position in world markets and guaranteeing a closer link between consumers and producers.
Queen’s students and the AMS have already acknowledged the necessity of participating in the fair trade movement by selling only fair trade coffee at the Common Ground. While this was an excellent start, it is now time for students to pressure the istration to make Queen’s an exclusively fair trade coffee campus. Queen’s has taken a leadership role regarding sweatshops; a policy requiring that all coffee sold on campus meet fair trade requirements will help to maintain Queen’s as a leader on social justice issues.
With this in mind, strong leadership is needed from student representatives who speak on behalf of the student body. In this current election, Queen’s Oxfam, Queen’s Project on International Development (QPID) and Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA) have come together as a coalition of Queen’s organizations who are strongly suggesting the addition of this very important issue in your campaign platform. Further, we’d suggest a platform that promises to demand that Queen’s adopt a policy requiring that all coffee on campus be fair trade certified.
Undoubtedly, making Queen’s a fair trade coffee campus is only the first step in making Queen’s a fair trade campus. Other commodities (cocoa, sugar, tea, etc.) are also fair trade certifiable and as it becomes feasible, these products too can be incorporated into a trend which will maintain the role of the Queen’s community as forerunners in the fight against poverty. At this time we are asking for a solid commitment to work on ensuring that Queen’s sells exclusively fair trade coffee in the very near future.
Kelly Bowden
President of Queen’s Oxfam
Carlos Paz-Soldan
General director of QPID
Simon Tam
President of QIAA
City councillor appreciative of students’ contributions
Dear Editors,
As a life-long resident of this city I want to make it clear that most Kingstonians do not blame Queen’s students for what is in fact a small number of issues that need to be resolved between the two communities.
I believe most Kingstonians recognize and appreciate student contributions to our collective community. In our schools and elsewhere you volunteer and work with our children, tutoring, teaching and coaching. Kingstonians know that students volunteer their time, energy and their money on projects, volunteering for non-profits, raising money for charities and donating to local causes. Thankfully, you also bring a vitality and energy to our city that adds to the quality of life for everyone. Most Kingstonians recognize students as responsible young adults. This is both perception and reality.
It is also a reality in society that individually small numbers of people can act irresponsibly and leave the perception of a much wider problem. I believe it is widely recognized that this was the situation at Homecoming 2005 when some individuals, at best, let their exuberance or the energy of the crowd get the better of them, or at worst, some individuals let alcohol and/or purposeful anti-social behaviour contribute to their highly inappropriate behaviours. The vast majority of students found those actions reprehensible and many made their voices heard. A small number made excuses or tried to deflect responsibility. This is no different than what has happened in the local community where a small number of Kingstonians want to blame Queen’s and Queen’s students on a number of issues involving “town and gown” [Town-Gown Relations]. Human nature being what it is those that perceive they know where the blame lies or those with simple solutions are quick to make their voices heard. Those who know the issues are more complex are more reluctant to go public. As the city councillor for Williamsville district, an area where many students reside, I sit on the newly-formed city council Committee for the Safe and Legal Use of Private and Public Space. (This committee is comprised of student government, Queen’s istration, student body, permanent resident, police, fire, city istration representatives and fellow councillor Floyd Patterson.) At our recent January meeting we heard from the Kingston Police, appropriately in my opinion, that using Tasers as a crowd control tool is not the proper use for this weapon and the police will not be using them for such. Our committee has heard from student representatives that students did not condone in anyway what happened on Aberdeen Street and that it will not happen next year, and that students want to be part of this solution. I will continue to work on behalf of Queen’s students and local residents of Kingston for fair and appropriate measures to resolve and improve Homecoming issues and town/gown issues and relations in general. There will be no simple solution but given time and efforts by our respective communities we will see positive changes. The interests of the Queen’s community and the Kingston community at large are not so different. I am confident that sane heads will prevail to the benefit of all.
Ed Smith
Williamsville District city councillor
Open letter to Ian Anderson
Dear Editors,
RE: “Queen’s image hurt” (Journal, Jan. 13, 2006), and “Letter ‘inadequate reading’ of issues” (Journal, Jan. 17, 2006).
The frustration in the letters to the editors of both Blair Halchuk (Sci ’02) and Ian Anderson is understandable. Mr. Halchuk responded like many Queen’s students, including myself, to the staggering losses of last year’s Arts and Science Undergraduate Society: with hostility. In turn, Mr. Halchuk’s disposition translated into an air of cynicism in his letter, inciting a prompt reply from Mr. Anderson.
In an attempt to clear your name, Mr. Anderson, you wrote, “Mr. Halchuk displays not only an embarrassingly inadequate reading of recent student government issues, but a fundamental lack of understanding and arrogance regarding them.” Unfortunately for you, Mr. Anderson, these same poorly-chosen words could be used to describe your dismal performance as ASUS vice-president. Regardless of how maligned and misrepresented you think you were, as manager of finances, the buck stopped at you, and now you must take the fall.
Which brings me to the purpose of this letter. Your attempts at restoring your image are falling upon deaf ears. A large number of Queen’s students (and graduates apparently) are under the impression that you are somewhat incompetent. You are now the head manager of one of the most notoriously ‘in-the-red’ services in the AMS: TAPS. Now is not the time to respond to critics, no matter how petty you believe them to be. TAPS’s final budget gives you the perfect opportunity to redeem yourself in the eyes of your peers. I beg that you do not focus your attention on the opinions section of the Journal, but rather allow something to occur that sparked this whole debate in the first place: let the numbers do the talking.
Steve Schadinger
ArtSci ’07
Response from Ian Anderson
Dear Editors,
I would like to respond to Steve Schadinger’s letter to the editor in today’s Journal.
I have learned a lot from the letters section of the Journal in the past few weeks. The most important thing I have learned is this: it’s very easy to be a computer-chair critic and to write letters about mistakes that happen in student government, all the while feeling you’ve made a difference. It’s a lot harder to take on these time-consuming positions, work hard, make mistakes, apologize and take responsibility for your mistakes, and then work to make sure they don’t happen again.
Ian Anderson
ArtSci ’06
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