Conversation cops step in to school Queens students. ⇒
19 November 2008, early morning
This article pairs well with this one, on how Queens is cancelling their homecoming because their students are too rowdy and stupid. Oh Queens, you lame ass school.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
“If a student avoids a classmate’s birthday party for faith-based reasons.” huh?
by sh!ma on November 19 2008, 10:03 am #
Yeah, I couldn’t figure that out as well. Maybe the article was transcribed wrong?
by ramanan on November 19 2008, 10:08 am #
Some faiths do not permit consumption of alcohol, and individuals may feel uncomfortable being in an environment (i.e. birthday party) where acquantainces or complete strangers are pressuring them to do keg-stands.
I’m not sure if that’s what the article is trying to get at, but if inclusivity and sensitivity is the theme, then it is something to consider. In general, Queen’s has too much booze and not enough mouths.
by rishi on November 19 2008, 12:39 pm #
About homecoming, I don’t think it’s fair to call the students stupid without knowing for certain if the problems are being caused by them or individuals with no affiliation to the school whatsoever.
The students and alumni do share some responsibility if they have invited problem-makers to homecoming events, but if social networking sites are really the compounding the issue, then inviting one person probably means they are actually inviting 50… strangers.
The homecoming event is one thing, but the problems are with the keggers come street parties that take place afterwards. They are both huge and notorious around Kingston, so many people from neighbouring towns (including high school kids) attend parties uninvited. If I think back to the level of impunity my friends and I operated with in high school, and put that in the context of an open street party with thousands of strangers fuelled by cocktails of booze and drugs that had a history of being a ticking timebomb, I’d probably be pushing the envelope too.
In the interest of full disclosure, I never attended a homecoming event during my time at Queen’s or as an alumnus.
by rishi on November 19 2008, 1:03 pm #
Yeah, I generally stayed away from them too, aside from working at a campus pub during a couple.
I got a lot of mail about this yesterday. A lot of alumni are pretty up in arms about it. One created a Facebook group encouraging others not to donate to Queen’s (which is also something I’ve never really done).
As for birthdays, I think members of certain faiths don’t celebrate them. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, if I’m not mistaken.
by Matt on November 19 2008, 1:40 pm #
Someone on Torontoist also commented on the fact that the homecoming problems do stem in part from high school students, and people coming in from out of town to party.
I just like to hate on Queens.
by ramanan on November 19 2008, 2:06 pm #
Oh, that I understand.
by Matt on November 19 2008, 3:47 pm #
Wow, I had no idea about Jehovah’s Witnesses and birthdays. The internet just confirmed your claim, so you are not mistaken.
by rishi on November 19 2008, 4:26 pm #