One member of The Journal’s Editorial Board holds a position with ASUS. They were not involved with the editing or reporting process of this story.
Stepping into the role of a Gael felt as natural to Billy* as breathing.
Like in the case of many first-years, Billy’s first breath of Kingston air consisted of flash mob dance parties, Gaelic cheers, and the odor of acrylic paint staining their coveralls—all moments that made campus feel like home. For Billy, whose name was changed due to safety concerns, that feeling meant everything.
When hiring opened in their first year, applying to give nearly two dozen students the same experience was a no-brainer. Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) Orientation Week (O-Week), led by upper-year students, is designed to help first-years “feel at home” in their first introduction to Queen’s, and typically takes place over the first two weekends of September after move-in.
Running ASUS O-Week is no small feat. As the largest faculty society at Queen’s, the production line begins with around 250 “Gaels,” upper-year students who lead each first-year group, around 40 Orientation Coordinators (OC), and five Orientation Chairs, including the Head Gael.
After already being a Gael once, Billy decided to apply to be an OC in their third year. After making it to the final round of interviews, they didn’t make the cut. They attribute this to not speaking up enough in the final group interview, recognizing that in a group setting their quiet nature would be a barrier to getting the role. In lieu, Billy applied to be a Gael again, securing the position.
Having built courage as a Gael for two years, Billy decided to apply to be an OC a second time, and was rejected from the position again. This time, they didn’t make it past the written portion of the application.
In January 2024, Billy attended the “Wanna Be a Gael” event, marketed as an opportunity for interested students to learn about the expectations of becoming an ASUS Orientation Leader.
“I had already had the experience, so I was excited to meet new people [and] see how Orientation is going to be the same and different,” Billy said.
When they arrived at Ellis Auditorium, Billy felt the weight of hostile stares from OCs they’d never met.
“That’s not a big part of the story, that’s just kind of where it started.”
***
Though Orientation Leaders don’t welcome students until September, their job starts long before.
With OCs and Gaels being hired in November and January of the previous year, they undergo training during the school year and in August before O-Week officially kicks off. These sessions cover everything from accessibility and human rights to sexual violence prevention and inclusive leadership. But it’s not always business.
During the last week of August, Orientation Leaders go on their annual “Winnipeg trip,” taking place in none other than Ottawa and Gatineau, Que. The trip, which takes place before O-Week, is sanctioned by both ASUS and the AMS. While it typically includes an overnight stay, last year, it was reduced to a day trip to mitigate safety concerns, ASUS said in a statement to The Journal.
While it’s made clear drinking isn’t expected, ASUS said, Billy feels like the container of cat litter on the bus says otherwise.
During the day, Orientation Leaders participated in various activities including a stop at an indoor adult playground and dinner. They’re also given free time to explore the city.
According to Billy, the five Orientation Chairs took all Orientation Leaders to a nightclub.
“They just sent off the groups of OCs and their Gaels to do whatever around the city until the nightclub would let us in,” Billy said.
According to Billy, once the club was ready for the hundreds of Orientation Leaders, the Chairs brought their Gaels back before giving everyone a simple directive: “Go drink.” Not everyone took part, but most did, Billy said.
“A lot of people did get very drunk. There were people throwing up. There were people that needed to be piled up by their friends,” Billy said. “They were kind of just drinking a lot, and the Orientation Chairs were prepared for this,” they added, claiming the Chairs didn’t tell anyone to pace themselves.
“Instead, they brought containers of cat litter and told everyone, if you’re sick on the bus, we have cat litter for you to throw up,” they said. “Basically, they’re encouraging drinking to the point of throwing up, that they brought cat litter with them in each of the buses.”
When asked to confirm if the bins of cat litter were brought intentionally as part of preparation for the trip, 2024 Head Gael Emma Capstick didn’t comment. However, in a statement to The Journal, she said, “If individuals wished to engage in drinking activities this was voluntary and consensual.”
Capstick also confirmed all of ASUS Orientation had access to her, as well as ORT Coordinators, phone numbers in case of emergency.
For Capstick, the trip is an opportunity for leaders to explore new places and bond with their peers. But for Orientation Leaders like Billy and Aubrey* who don’t drink, the night out felt alienating.
***
Like Billy, Aubrey—whose name was changed for safety—was a second-year Gael in 2022-23. After applying to be an OC, they secured a position for the following year. During the Winter Term of the 2023-24 year, Aubrey attended weekly OC meetings. They also participated in informal bi-monthly socials, where their decision not to drink left them feeling excluded from the rest of the group.
Because Aubrey chose to stay sober while their peers drank, they often found themselves in uncomfortable situations, describing how fellow OCs would sometimes become inappropriately touchy without their consent.
When attending a social for Orientation Leaders, a fellow OC. who Aubrey says was clearly intoxicated, grabbed their face with two hands, trying to pull them closer. Another time, someone touched Aubrey’s posterior without permission.
Aubrey tried to laugh these moments off, but felt a sense of deep discomfort. Leading into the actual Orientation period, Aubrey battled how to navigate dealing with pent up frustration and incidents of harassment. Aubrey felt that reaching out for help would have just made the environment worse for them.
“During Orientation, I didn’t want to bring up any of my issues to my Chair at the time, or even go ahead and go to the Head Gael, just because if I did bring up certain things that I was feeling at the time, I didn’t want it to ruin the environment I was in,” Aubrey said in an interview with The Journal. “I didn’t want it to be more awkward.”
Although Aubrey knew was available during the harassment they experienced, reaching out felt riskier than staying silent. They feared speaking up—especially to their Chair—would either lead to their concerns being brushed aside or ed along to the very people involved, making an already tense environment that much more unbearable. The idea of enduring 10- to 12-hour shifts, sometimes longer, surrounded by a tight-knit team that included several of those responsible for the mistreatment, made the thought of reporting feel not only futile, but potentially damaging.
“I felt as though if I were to reach out and try and kind of get some kind of clearance or clarity on the situation, it just would have made things so much worse that it wouldn’t have even been worth it,” Aubrey said.
After Orientation wrapped up and their Chair failed to respond to messages about the issues they faced, Aubrey decided to ASUS President Cole Olidis, explaining what they’d experienced before, during, and after O-Week and the influence it had on them.
“I had a little talk about [with him about] things that I had to experience, the environment of Orientation, things like that,” Aubrey said. “Essentially, there’s not really much he can do, except to see how the environment changes for this Orientation, if the drinking culture is too much, what he thinks on it.”
According to ASUS, they became aware of Aubrey’s claims on Jan. 10 which dated back to the 2023-24 academic year and September 2024 Orientation period. The claims, written in a report by Aubrey and sent to Olidis, obtained by The Journal, follow themes of harassment, bias, and retaliatory behaviour in Orientation leadership. The report outlined the sexual harassment Aubrey experienced, including “unwelcome touching,” “sexually explicit pictures,” “unnecessary familiarity, such as deliberately brushing up against a person,” “staring or leering,” among others.
After Olidis and Aubrey met, all concerns were brought to the Human Rights and Equity Office and further directed to the University’s Sexual Violence and Response Prevention Services (SVPRS), with all concerns shared with SVPRS on Jan. 20. According to ASUS, on Jan. 30, Aubrey was ed as a follow up and given the recommendation to bring the concern to SVPRS. For SVPRS to move forward with a formal investigation, complaints have to be brought forward by the individual.
Following the two parties’ meeting, ASUS implemented the following measure: All Orientation volunteers this year have to complete a positive disclosure of any findings under the University’s policies for the Student Code of Conduct, Sexual Violence Policy, the Interim Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the Harassment & Discrimination Policy.
“All ASUS Orientation volunteers are required to complete all trainings according to ASUS and ORT policies including trainings on sexual violence,” ASUS said.
When it comes to hiring, Aubrey believes ASUS’s current “clique” culture played a role in this year’s selections, reinforcing a recurring environment steeped in party culture—one that tends to alienate anyone who isn’t highly outgoing.
“ASUS follows strict hiring policies according to our Human Resources Policy (External). All our policies were adhered to for the duration of Head Gael, Orientation Chair, Orientation Coordinator, and Gael hiring. All conflicts of interest were noted by all of the s. Applications for Orientation Coordinators were assessed via their written application and interviews,” ASUS said.
However, Aubrey feels hiring for Chairs is a “popularity contest,” or “who’s friends with who,” which, in turn, trickles down into Gael hiring. This culture is then pushed on to the first-years these students are meant to guide as they take their first steps on campus.
*Names changed due to safety concerns
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A. small
so billy applied to be a coordinator again after feeling alienated, receiving hostile stares, and having a bad experience? and only then came to the journal with this? interesting timing.