The reaction to what occurred on Aberdeen Street during Homecoming weekend has been widespread, ionate and conflicting. The AMS has had to work hard to moderate inflammatory rhetoric so that we can have a reasoned dialogue to discuss what happened and how we can constructively move forward from here.
Many provocative statements were made less than a week after the Aberdeen debacle and a long time before any examination, investigation or research had been done into the circumstances surrounding the incident. We ourselves call first and foremost for a rational dialogue. If we fool ourselves into believing that this is a simple problem with a simple solution then we have damned ourselves to committing the same mistakes next year.
For months, the AMS and others worked to provide an alternative event to the Aberdeen Street party, as well as running an information campaign that encouraged students to behave modestly and to set an example for those around them. The vast majority of students did just that. They upheld the spirit and tradition of Homecoming. Others did not. What happened on Aberdeen was reprehensible. No excuse could begin to justify flipping and burning a car, to say nothing of the other infractions that were committed. All violations are being investigated and will be prosecuted according to the rules and procedures of our student-run non-academic discipline system.
The AMS believes that before we can propose solutions, we must conduct a comprehensive analysis of what happened. How did we go from last year’s street party—which had problems but was relatively benign—to this year’s street party that degenerated into a dangerous mess? We need to address tough questions before we can move forward—tough questions that are unlikely to receive adequate consideration in the current climate of anger and finger-pointing. We must at all times observe due process, despite external pressure to make an example of students through heavy-handed sanctions and public condemnation. The istration proposed altering the discipline process for expediency, but the AMS was able to successfully protect the right of all students to a fair hearing in front of their peers. This is a cornerstone of our University’s Code of Conduct and cannot now be removed. It is precisely for times like these that we have the system we do.
What happened on Aberdeen was unacceptable, but the hysteria that has followed has been more damaging to Queen’s than the events themselves. The University istration should be commended for trying to make amends with the community and to accept our school’s share of responsibility in addressing negative events associated with Homecoming. However, the istration’s fear of bad publicity in the Kingston community and the national press has eclipsed its concern for representing the interests of Queen’s students. Any defence of Queen’s reputation must begin with a defence of students themselves, against some of the vile charges and recommendations that have been aired in the days and weeks following Homecoming.
Defending the student community while condemning the actions of a group of students is not only a possibility but also a moral imperative.
On Wednesday I was accompanied by Naomi Lutes, the municipal affairs commissioner for the AMS, along with Grant Bishop, our rector, and Chris Zabaneh, EngSoc president, to the Kingston city council meeting. While we the committee, the AMS was concerned that the council motion proposed solutions before the committee could do anything. We proposed an amended motion and after some debate it was ed by council. More important, we witnessed a very reasonable, rational debate take place and city council demonstrated a willingness to work with us on this issue. In this meeting, and in general, the University’s weak response is being noticed by others and is doing nothing to enhance the image of Queen’s throughout Kingston.
Everyone must that by shouldering collective responsibility to work with others on a problem, we are not accepting collective blame for a problem that was caused by a minority of students. The AMS believes that students have an obligation to tackle this issue and to ensure student safety at all times. We must be a voice of reason during this emotional moment.
The coming year will be a great challenge for us all, but my pride in Queen’s and my faith in students are unshaken by these events. I have every confidence that, thanks to student initiative, they will remain unshaken when I return as an alumnus in years to come.
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