“Mom, I need to come home.” 

It usually takes weeks or even months for someone to find out I’m vegan. It inevitably comes out when I turn down something almost any normal person would accept — Cheetos, ice cream, a burger — or when I have to makeshift my dinner at a restaurant which isn’t very accommodating to dietary restrictions. 

“It’s too hot.” Stuart Lillico, Artsci ‘21 “Iced coffee and water,” Gelareh Hajian, Electrical dept. “Winter is coming,” Farzaneh Sadri, Mining dept.

Hey Queen’s, I think it’s time we talk about our attention span issue. In the past year alone, we’ve forgotten an unacceptable number of incidents that at one point were major sources of disappointment or outrage.

Early last week as I walked through the University District on move-in day, I began noticing bedsheets hanging from my peers’ houses. With obscene phrases and degrading messages on the signs, I was brought back to 588 days ago. 

Our young minds have gotten lazy.

Despite election promises of the contrary, one recent decision by the AMS shows how our student government continues to push their sustainability efforts to the side. 

“Experiencing the amazing Queen’s spirit.” 

If you could tell yourself something before going into your last year of undergrad at Queen’s, what would it be?

“Save your flex dollars for exam season” Carson O’Sullivan ArtSci ‘18“Get involved in extra curricular activities and be patient. Four years will go by fast.” Samuel Fumat ArtSci ‘18“You are not the only one who feels a little lonely. Put yourself out there and you will find your people.” Jaedie Sansom ArtSci ‘18

“It’s closed?” Michael Williams, Msc ‘17.“I’m neutral” Joobin Sattar, Medicine ‘19.“It really sucks.” Madeline Legg, ArtSci ‘19.

When I was little, I had a book about sharks — I read it all the time and took it with me everywhere I went. 

At the surface, Queen’s University strives to promote a culture that is receptive to diversity and encouraging in the journey of self-discovery. In reality, both silent and spoken expectations allow that ideology to become warped, reinforcing time and time again that success is synonymous with superiority. 

“I hated all of my summer jobs.”Cameron Pinos, ArtSci ’17 “My dad had me be a janitor to buil character.”Anthony Valeri, ArtSci ’17 

“Flirting with my coworkers.”Ghazal Baradari-Ghiami, Vol 144 Video Editor “Living across the street.”Blake Canning, Vol 144 Assistant News Editor “Pineapples on the pizza.”Auston Chhor, Vol 144 Photographer  

Whether it’s your first year at Queen’s or your last, by now we’ve all likely heard the familiar sound of a student bragging about the hours they spent in the library cramming for an exam or desperately scrawling out a paper that should’ve been done and edited days before. As students, we often wear these hours in the library like a badge of honor.

Free speech isn’t a neutral or isolated topic. As such, a discussion about freedom of speech must be contextualized with a community’s histories and culture.

If you ask any student, they’re likely to tell you that sororities and fraternities don’t exist at Queen’s. Very few would say otherwise, unless directly involved. Greek Life is just not a part of Queen’s life.

“Going to some club at  night if we’re not already dead.”Emily Saar & Natalie Mangialardi, ConEd ’19  “Aberdeen and drinking with some friends.”Lexi Campbell, ArtSci ’19 “I’m hoping to not fall off a roof somewhere.”Jasmit DeSaffel, ArtSci ’17