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the journal
Queen’s University
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Vol. 151, Issue 9
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F r i day , O c t o b e r 6 , 2 0 2 3
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Situated on the
traditional lands of
the Anishinaabe and
Haudenosaunee peoples.
Since 1873
Racist comments toward Guelph Gryphons QUEEN’S women’s rugby player under investigation RANKED 12TH A&R trying to IN CANADA identify spectator Times Higher Education world ranking unchanged in five years
responsible
Rory Stinson Senior Sports Editor This story first appeared online on Oct. 3.
Sophia Coppolino Senior News Editor
An investigation is underway after racist comments were directed towards a visiting rugby player. At the Sept. 23 Women’s Rugby home game against the Guelph Gryphons on Nixon Field, officials were notified of a spectator making racist comments towards a visiting player. Though Athletics and Recreation (A&R) reported steps have been taken to identify the individual, no updates have been released to the public stating the individual has been identified. According to a statement from Linda Melnick, executive director for A&R, posted to the A&R website on Sept. 28, an investigation to identify the spectator is ongoing. “Harassment and discrimination of any kind are unacceptable, and
Queen’s overall world ranking remains stagnant over the last five years. Of 1,904 universities worldwide, Queen’s placed between 251 and 300 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Worldwide University Ranking, a similar standing to last year. Of the top 20 Canadian universities in the rankings, Queen’s placed twelfth, falling behind University of Calgary and Western University. The THE World University Ranking grades universities on five indicators: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry, and international outlook. Based on the indictors, THE assigns universities scores out of 100, allowing them to rank universities worldwide. Overall, universities placed in the 251 to 300 bracket averaged between 53.1 and 55.8 points across the five indicators. Queen’s scored below 37.5 on teaching and 38.0 on research environment indicators. The teaching indictor accounts for Queen’s teaching reputation, staff to student ratios, and institutional income. The research indictor considers the University’s research reputation among academics, research grants, and number of peer-reviewed publications. The highest-ranking programs at Queen’s were pre-clinical health and law. THE ranked these programs higher due to higher scores on international outlook and industry income. See Times on page 2
Those with information are encouraged to come forward.
have no place in sport, on our campus, or in our community. A&R and the Queen’s Women’s Rugby program have zero tolerance for racism,” Melnick said in a press release. “We sincerely regret this happened at a game, and we acknowledge these incidents cause severe harm to many members within our
Sexual violence response service sees requests surge 52 per cent
Complaints down 8 per cent since last year Sophia Coppolino Senior News Editor Queen’s University’s report on sexual violence revealed a significant increase in requests for Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services (SVPRS) last year. Queen’s released its fifth report on provincially mandated sexually violence data to the Board of Trustees on Sept. 29. Students filed 26 complaints of sexual violence last year, where sexual harassment made up 22 of the complaints. “What struck us was the scope of commitment and complexity of it. Sexual violence treatment has to be highly individualized thus we have developed an appreciate for that,” said Nancy Evans, executive director (corporate affairs and queensjournal.ca
strategic initiatives) at Smith School of Business, at Board of Trustees. Board members commented on the six reported cases of sexual exploitation, an offense which hasn’t seen any complaints over the previous three reporting periods. The reported statistic skews the picture of sexual exploitation at Queen’s because of the format of the statistics required by government guidelines, Provost Matthew Evans explained. “Technically it went from zero to one, but because there were six people, we were required to report it,” Evans said at Board. The ministry requires universities to record every incident and complaint made by students. At Queen’s one complaint may be captured within multiple offense counts because of the nature of the incident. Sexual exploitation involves taking advantage of another person through non-consensual or abusive sexual control @queensjournal
PHOTO BY JOSEPH MARIATHASAN
broader community.” In the statement, A&R committed to increasing staff, security, signage, and announcements to ensure all spectators are in compliance with the OUA Spectator Code of Conduct. The OUA Spectator Code of Conduct requires spectators refrain from verbal or physical harassment directed towards anyone attending, playing, coaching, or officiating a game. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct will result in an ejection from the game and prohibition from attending future games. “We reaffirm our ongoing commitment to Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, AntiRacism, and Accessibility (I-EDIAA)
to help ensure the safety and security of A&R participants, and enact purposeful change and positive shifts in values, beliefs, and practices to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all,” Melnick said. Anyone with information is urged to file a harassment and discrimination report through Queen’s harassment and discrimination reporting system. A&R said they’re in contact with Guelph Athletics to ensure all necessary steps are taken to properly conduct this investigation. Melnick encouraged Queen’s students affected by this incident to visit Student Wellness Services.
according to the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. This includes distributing, recording, or photographing people involved in sexual acts without their consent. Between May 2022 and April 2023, 337 individuals contacted the SVPRS, 236 of whom were students. During the previous period SVPRS received a total of 221 requests for service. In response to requests, the SVPRS team logged almost 1,500 actions. Actions included consultations, referrals, and providing individuals with supporting documentation. “[Requests include] the number of people coming to the office and asking for information or support for a variety of things. It could be ‘I need a referral to student wellness, or I need information about my
options, or I need academic considerations, or I want to make a complaint.’ It’s all of those things,” Barbara Lotan, SVPRS coordinator said in an interview with The Journal. The SVPRS responded to 52 requests for assistance accessing academic accommodations and 18 requests for documentation supporting academic appeals. Students don’t need to make a formal complaint to access SVPRS supports. Complaints are put in writing which initiate an investigation by the University. Under the current policy, the University doesn’t process anonymous complaints. The external review by the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response of Queen’s SVPR policies
@queensjournal
@queensjournal
and procedures concluded in February. The external review found Queen’s policy and procedural response to sexual violence to be rigorous and highly professional. The external review made 21 recommendations to Queen’s. Recommendations include changing the language for students disclosing incidents of sexual violence from complainant to reporter. See SVPRS on page 3 @thequeensjournal