Nothing but praise for health services
Dear Editors:
Re: “Cold shoulder for mental health” (Journal, October 10, 2006).
I felt compelled to write this letter in order to counter what I consider to be grievous criticisms and inaccurate statements about Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCDS). During the course of my studies, I experienced emotional problems and sought help at the counselling services offered by HCDS. As someone who has experienced these services first-hand, I have nothing but praise for all of the wonderful and caring counsellors who have treated me and I recommend this service without
hesitation to those students who are experiencing difficult times.
During the two years I have been to appointments there, I talked with three different counsellors and have found them all to be extremely accommodating and great listeners. With their sensitive approaches, they have helped me to reach conclusions by myself. Without their professional help, arriving at these valuable insights would have taken many years and far more suffering.
As far as the appointments are concerned, I have never been turned away after reaching my “quota” of eight appointments. On the contrary, I was encouraged to return. I believe that when the circumstances warrant, and the student’s situation is serious enough, the people at HCDS can be very accommodating. They also offer appointments in the spring and summer semesters.
I do not know who invented Mental Health Awareness Week but I think that invoking semantics
in order to launch a barrage of criticism against HCDS is very low.
Maybe they were preparing something for next week for all you know. I, for one, feel comforted in knowing that some services are more about action than selfrighteous, idle pronouncements. So not only did your article and editorial about HCDS reek of desperate pedantry, but it was ignorant, inaccurate and extremely narrow-minded. Please exercise careful diligence the next time news comes
your way.
Name withheld
AMS condemns Muslim hate mail
Dear Editors:
In light of recent discriminatory events on campus, the AMS feels it necessary to issue the following statement: The AMS condemns those responsible for the recent distribution via Q-Link of hate propaganda against the Muslim faith and Muslim people. The circulation of these e-mails constitutes a human rights violation and is both extremely hurtful to individuals d with the Muslim faith and to the entire Queen’s community.
It’s critical that all of us who believe in a genuinely inclusive environment for Queen’s that embraces diversity and respects individual dignity our unqualified contempt for the pejorative discriminatory and hateful content of these emails. The AMS strongly encourages any student who has been the recipient of this hate propaganda over e-mail to immediately forward it to [email protected].
Anyone who received this hate propaganda or feels they have witnessed or are otherwise aware
of a related human rights violation should feel free to the Human Rights Office at 613-533-
6886 or by e-mail [email protected]. For more information about human rights issues, please
check out the Human Rights Office Website at queensu.ca/humanrights.
James Macmillan
AMS president
and Allison Williams
AMS social issues commissioner
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 [email protected].