Ignatieff article misses major issues
Dear Editors,
Re: “Political engagement 101” (Journal, Sept. 21, 2007)
There was some fairly big news recently. You may have heard about it. Three by-elections in Quebec, in which the federal Liberal Party fared poorly and infighting was rumoured between leader Stephane Dion and his strongest competitor for leader, Michael Ignatieff.
So when Ignatieff, a prominent politician, appears on campus, one would expect the campus newspaper might actually want to ask some questions—either about the by-elections or any number of other substantive issues—instead of just providing a transcript of the man’s bloviating and pandering to the issue of “youth apathy”.
What a journalistic failure on your part. You sure earned those Liberal Party hip cards this week!
Emmett Macfarlane
Ph.D. candidate
‘Serious reservations’ about silence in the face of eating disorders
Dear Editors,
Re: “The skinny on body image” (Journal, Sept. 21, 2007)
I am writing to express the serious reservations I have with regards to the signed editorial in Friday’s issue of the Journal. In it, the writer describes her struggle with disordered eating, and goes on to praise her mother for taking a ive approach to dealing with the problems her daughter was facing.
I have no idea how serious Ms. Er-Chua’s disordered relationship with food was or is, or whether or not it had serious and lasting implications for her health. What I do know, however, is that to make the sweeping claim that “what anorexics and bulimics need” is ive silence from a patient loved one waiting for them to realize the foolish error in their ways is an incorrect, irresponsible and downright dangerous generalization.
I think I can speak for many women and men when I say, with complete certainty, that had my loved ones opted to sit back and watch my gradual deterioration without intervening, I would be dead right now. Disordered relationships with food take on a myriad of forms (a simple label of “anorexics and bulimics” doesn’t quite cover it), and vary in their severity and implications. For many people, battling a disordered relationship with food is a much bigger struggle than simply realizing you are “being stupid.” Ignorance and stupidity, in fact, rarely have anything to do with it. No—the people who care for those struggling with eating disorders can’t force them to change. But I would like the writer to keep in mind that sometimes intervention is not only prudent, but is a life-saving necessity. Furthermore, I would hope the Journal would avoid publishing editorials that make incorrect generalizations and suggest courses of action that could have unthinkable consequences.
Katie Drummond
ArtSci ’08
Sport commentary off-base on race issues
Dear Editors,
Re: “Racism is still alive and kicking in sport” (Journal, Sept. 21, 2007)
The Journal’s editorial assertion that the comments of Gary Sheffield with regard to race in sport have “some degree of truth in them” is both shockingly ignorant and uninformed, and should be withdrawn.
Is the Journal aware that the comments Gary Sheffield made include the following gem with regards to Hispanic baseball players?
“What I called is that you’re going to see more black faces, but there ain’t no English going to be coming out. … It’s about being able to tell them what to do—being able to control them. … They have more to lose than we do. You can send them back across the island. You can’t send us back. We’re already here.”
Racism is surely a major issue in sport, but the Journal approaches it in the most boneheaded way possible by practically endorsing the clearly offensive views of one of the least respectable players in baseball.
Furthermore, as much as I personally dislike the New York Yankees, the Journal conveniently omits the fact that famed African-American slugger Darryl Strawberry contradicted Sheffield’s remarks about Yankee manager Joe Torre, and that the overall consensus in baseball is that the comments about Torre, a widely respected veteran of the game and known irer of hall-of-famer Bob Gibson, are entirely without merit. The of Kenny Lofton, who played only a single below-average year for Torre, does not make Sheffield’s wild allegations true.
Essentially, the Journal’s “exposé” on racism in sport smacks of sensationalism, poor research and overall shabby journalism that does nothing but harm to the profile of this legitimate sports issue. Here, however, it’s appropriate that these columns are titled “sideline commentary,” because these insults to intelligent sports fans deserve to be permanently relegated there.
Tyler King
ArtSci ’09
SOARB preserves student leadership, Queen’s welcoming environment
Dear Editors,
Re: “Give frosh credit for maturity” (Journal, Sept. 18, 2007)
The opinions and comments made in Tom Woodhall’s recent op-ed piece about “sanitizing” Frosh Week only serve to perpetuate an inaccurate perception of SOARB.
First and foremost, I believe it is important for people to understand SOARB’s role with respect to Orientation Week.
The dedicated volunteer observe and review the week’s activities in order to make constructive suggestions to the Senate and the faculty societies to encourage alignment with the week’s stated objectives.
Secondly, as a volunteer member of SOARB representing Queen’s alumni, I want to take this opportunity to remind the Queen’s community of one very important fact about the composition of SOARB: it is a student majority council, not an istrative arm of Queen’s.
Having witnessed three years of SOARB’s discussions, I am confident in saying the majority of the hip—student, staff or faculty—are there because they care deeply about preserving the tradition of a student-run Orientation Week at Queen’s.
Our primary goal is to help identify barriers and possible solutions to continuing the most important tradition of this University—student leadership and involvement.
Lisa Woodcock
ArtSci ’04
Alumni Rep to SOARB (2005-07)
Dear Editors,
Re: “Give frosh credit for maturity” (Journal, Sept. 18, 2007)
Mr. Woodhall need not worry that “SOARB and others” have been “tackling a seemingly harmless piece of tradition.” The Engineering Hymn has not been discussed at SOARB meetings this past year.
In response to Mr. Woodhall’s comments about changes to orientation, it is clear that within Queen’s and the Kingston community there are many opinions about Orientation Week and how it could be. The objective of Orientation Week is to create a fun and inclusive environment for independent growth and discovery. It’s an opportunity to bond with one’s residence floor and faculty and has a crucial role in shaping a freshman’s identity as a Queen’s student and Kingston community member.
The student leaders that facilitate this process (Orientation Round Table, Orientation Committees, Social Issues Commission, Campus Activities Commission, residence dons and faculty society orientation leaders) do not deny that alcohol exists, nor do they promote excessive drinking as a way of life. Both of those approaches would be counter to the objective of balance and personal choice.
The class of 2011 is composed of adults who are free to make their own decisions. The role of orientation week is to create a welcoming environment that allows them to do so.
Sabrina Yao
ArtSci ’08
2007 SOARB co-chair
Aboriginal concerns should be an election issue
Dear Editors,
As some people may be aware, there is an provincial election taking place in October, but many are unaware of the importance and significance of this specific election. Did you know that during this election we will not only vote for our local candidate, but we will also vote on which electoral system Ontario will use in the future? It is always important to vote, as it is our responsibility as citizens, but voting in this election is more important than ever.
An all-candidates forum is coming up and will deal with Aboriginal-specific issues, although many Kingstonians would be able to relate to similar concerns.
These issues include, but are not limited to, the need for affordable and accessible housing, a need for ceremonial grounds, the need for funding to create job and educational opportunities, and the need to respect Mother Earth.
This forum is very important, as Kingston has a very strong and influential Aboriginal population. Some residents of Kingston may be unaware of the large Aboriginal population in our city, which is estimated at about 10,000.
Kingston also has significant historical meaning for Aboriginal people: long before Kingston was Canada’s first capital, it was Mohawk and Algonquin territory. I urge all of the Kingston community to educate themselves on the election process, the referendum questions, and where candidates stand on local issues. I encourage everyone to attend the all candidates forum taking place on Sept. 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Queen’s University, Biosciences Room 1102. I hope the forum will not only educate and inform, but will give people the opportunity to make an educated vote based on the candidates’ responses. I feel it is important for the residents of Kingston to become familiar with Aboriginal issues in our area, as ultimately they will affect all of our community.
Alisha Parks
ArtSci ’09
Forum organizer
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.