Lululemon strips customers of dignity
Dear Editors,
One cold Saturday in December I ventured out down Princess Street to run a few errands. It was early in the morning and the streets were fairly empty and so I figured the majority of the student population were crammed into Stauffer.
As I continued my walk down, my attention was directed towards the large group of people lined up along the sidewalk, many of whom were girls who huddled in small groups in a long line that extended about four or five stores down. I paused and wondered what the fuss was about. It was only after a group of individuals emerged from the crowd wearing “yoga” outfits it clicked. This was the opening of Lululemon.
It was strange seeing such a crowd incredibly eager for the opening of a store so early in the morning, but I thought nothing of it until something caught my eye. I realized that some of the girls (and few guys) were wearing their coats—just their coats. Relatively sane individuals usually don’t expose their legs in the height of winter, do they? Somehow I hoped they had thermal shorts on underneath.
The clock struck 10 a.m., the coats came off and the crowd cheered while I stood there dumbfounded and bombarded by bare breasts. It wasn’t April Fool’s yet, and this was no joke. Lululemon asked its customers to strip to the bare minimum while lining up outside in the frigid cold for what? I confirmed with a perverted onlooker and apparently, the first thirty customers to wear only their underwear would receive free clothes from the store. I was completely floored. I felt like I was watching an episode of “The Surreal Life.” And what would happen to the rest of the naked girls, you wonder? They did say they would get a prize or some consolation gift.
Now what respectable clothing company asks such a demeaning task for their customers? Have you ever seen topless women in their underwear lining up along Fifth Avenue outside Chanel or Donna Karan for free merchandise? Wearing only underwear in public is for red light district professionals, not Lululemon customers. Besides the highly unprofessional nature of this event, it was degrading, humiliating and shameful to participants.
I know you are probably thinking I am an overweight, insecure girl who is bitter I didn’t get free clothes and too embarrassed to get naked for store employees. Well yes, the latter is true. I am too shy to get naked in public and smart enough to realize that it could lead to frostbite in some unfortunate areas. I it, I’m no Jessica Alba, but even if I was, I would most certainly not parade in my underwear in the dead of winter.
As I walked home I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself the events of this bizarre morning. It was too much nudity and scandal for a Saturday morning. I got back home, changed into my pajamas and crawled back into my warm bed—with my self-respect and $200 still in my bank .
Liselle Devas
ArtSci ’07
Sodexho service not up to par
Dear Editors,
I am writing with regards to an unpleasant experience I had while eating at a “155” grill in the JDUC on Dec. 2. There was a lineup of four waiting to be served. The lone employee was horsing around with the employees from a Tim Hortons station, before rapidly rushing to the line and attempting to take everyone’s order. The employee forgot my order four times and irritatingly continued to ask me what I wanted. The employee then returned to her conversation with her co-workers, discussing how long it would be until their break.
While this was going on, my food sat under a heat lamp for five minutes, until she finally realized that I was still waiting for it. The other customers received similar treatment. The “155” station was utterly filthy, the floor covered in crushed food and dirt. The counters were disgusting, covered in spilt sauce and tiny bits of beef and chicken. I have worked in the food industry and for the Ontario Ministry of Labour, and if an inspector had come by at this time, this business would have been heavily fined. I understand that the business was clearly understaffed, but I have only the image of my University at heart.
Alex Dault
ArtSci ’07
Queen’s image hurt
Dear Editors,
To Ian Anderson, student government, and any other student thinking of drawing more unnecessary attention to the school this year: Please stop embarrassing us and tarnishing the reputation of such a fine institution. Hire a Commerce student to run your finances, stop flipping over cars, and for the love of all things holy put a lock on the cookie jar.
Blair Halchuk
Sci ’02
Break-ins hard on students
Dear Editors,
I have been a Kingston resident and a Queen’s student for five years. My places of residence, mostly centered around the student housing district, have been broken into five times since I came to Queen’s. The most recent was Dec. 15. My housemates and I have had computers and electronic equipment stolen. We’ve lost backpacks, bicycles, shoes, even cheese and garlic butter from the fridge. Windows get broken, doors kicked in—it seems as though to live in a secure house, we’d have to bar all the windows and install a security system of motion-detecting laser beams.
During three of the five break-ins, I was inside the house/apartment asleep. One time, I was awakened to see a student-aged male crawling in the window of the living room, and found myself chasing him out of the house and down the street with a highland dancing sword. I couldn’t imagine the rage I might unleash if I managed to catch someone in the act of stealing my things. I am actually quite afraid of what might occur, as our legal system would likely punish me for defending myself and my possessions.
I do not come from a rich family. I owe the government close to $30,000 in student debt, yet the small possessions I do manage to accumulate get stolen by some selfish jerk trying to get some free Christmas gifts or their crack addiction.
This will be the first time the value of goods stolen is enough that insurance will cover their replacement, but we still lose money—not to mention irreplaceable things like digital pictures and important computer files. These criminals don’t think about the consequences of their actions, or they just don’t care about others. Either way, I am disappointed and ashamed at our society for not having found a way to deal with this.
The City of Kingston and Queen’s University need to be doing more. I used to think Kingston would be a great place to make a career and have a family. I’m just not so sure anymore.
Matt Marjerrison
Sci ’04
Open letter to mayor
Dear Mr. Rosen,
As a father of two Queen’s students I have a little riddle for you. How do you know it is Christmas in Kingston? The area that the Queen’s students lovingly call the Ghetto is underpatrolled by the police who are present in excessive numbers during Homecoming, and the homes are ravaged during Christmas by locals looking to steal the precious articles left by the students in their rented homes.
I have a challenge for you. I would like to see the break-in statistics by postal code for the last two weeks of December and the first week of January for the past ten years, and then have the break-in statistics for that time period for all of Kingston. This is not a frivolous request, and if you do not willingly give these statistics, I will be making a freedom of information request and forwarding the information to my lawyer. I strongly suspect that the Ghetto has a far larger break-in rate than any other area in of Kingston, and that this is a perennial problem that is ignored by you and the city council. If this is correct then I may be starting a class action law suit against you personally and the entire city council with all the current and former students and parents of Queen’s students as far back as the law will allow for previous years.
I strongly suggest that you put the item of buying Tasers on the back burner, as you may need this money for restitution to Queen’s students for their lost property. City council should offer to reimburse all the Queen’s students for their loss during this Christmas season. Most of the Queen’s students are not rich and the loss of some of their personal property will be hard to replace.
You may sense that I am a little angry as I write this letter. Well I have good reason for being angry. This evening my daughter received word that her rented home in Kingston has been on the latest list of break-ins. This means that she has to interrupt her Christmas vacation to return to Kingston to survey the damage.
Larry A. Faseruk
Toronto
Say ThankQ to Queen’s
Dear Editors,
A new semester and a new year are upon us. This semester will be my last, and 2006 will mark my graduation from Queen’s and the end of four great years. Like every other soon-to-be graduate, I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve survived living on West Campus and witnessed the reincarnation of Alfie’s. I’ve been educated alongside the best and brightest in Canada, and I’m sure some of their intelligence has rubbed off on me. I’ve had charismatic professors who made going to class an extremely enjoyable experience, and I’ve had those who greatly contributed to my ability to learn independently. With few remaining months as a student, I look back on my time at Queen’s with great fondness, knowing that the experiences I’ve had will be invaluable to me in the future. The standards of excellence for which Queen’s University is known will give me an advantage when I take my degree and head out into the workforce. For everything that we’ve been given as Queen’s students, ’06 grads, it’s time to give something back before we leave.
Since 1992 the ThankQ Campaign has enabled graduating students to give back to the University and make a difference for future Queen’s students. Within each faculty and school, graduating students volunteer to run the ThankQ program and work with their classes to decide on a specific gift that they want to . Over the years, students have raised thousands of dollars for gifts such as bursaries and student awards, computer and equipment upgrades, and student-run initiatives. By making donations as a class to a certain project, we have the opportunity to make a real contribution to the University, one that reflects our commitment and Queen’s spirit. We can show how proud we are to be Queen’s graduates by leaving a legacy as the class of 2006. Our donations will benefit future students and help to maintain the excellent reputation of Queen’s University and its graduates.
However, as someone who has survived on rice and crunchy peanut butter for days on end, believe me, I completely understand the financial constraints of being a student. Therefore, I must stress that the primary goal in the 2006 ThankQ Campaign is participation. This is a class effort and as such, it is really important, and obviously more meaningful, if every student in the class can make some sort of donation to their respective gift. With that in mind, any contribution of any amount will be greatly appreciated.
Over the next several weeks, all graduating students will have a chance to participate in ThankQ by voting to select a class gift and making donations, and you will be notified via e-mail when there is an event happening in your faculty. On that note, I would like to remind all ’06 grads about the ThankQ Kickoff Party on Jan. 17 at Alfie’s from 6-8 p.m. There we’ll announce the various class gifts and all grads can enjoy a free drink and pizza. And please, when the opportunity comes for you to give back to Queen’s and say ThankQ, participate.
Morgan Terry
Chair, 2006 ThankQ Campaign
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