the journal Queen’s University
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Vol. 153, Issue 12
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F r i day , O c o t b e r 3 1 , 2 0 2 5
Distressed man breaks into Waldron Tower leaving students shaken
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Situated on the
traditional lands of
the Anishinaabe and
Haudenosaunee peoples.
Since 1873
HOCO and FOCO
fines fall for a third year Aboudaoud said in an interview the hospital. additional cleaning and inspections Residents demand The Journal. “Seconds later, The following evening, Residence the following week. stronger security after with screams were heard of what Life Services held a meeting with In a statement to The Journal, the in a row early morning break-in seemed like a man screaming, residents to address the incident University confirmed that security ‘Help me.’”
Bylaw enforcement hands out $8,000 in fines
measures at Waldron, including double-locked glass doors, electronic key A troubled individual in a ‘mental access, exterior lighting, health crisis’ broke into Waldron blue lights in laundry Tower early on Oct. 25, shattering rooms and 24/7 campus glass doors and leaving blood patrols, are consistent throughout the building before with other residences on Jonathan Reilly being apprehended by police. campus. The University’s Senior News Editor Journal reporter living in reviewing additional Waldron heard yelling and safety enhancements, This year’s homecoming and slamming around 5 a.m. before such as reinforcing fauxcoming (FOCO) saw a calling police at 5:28 a.m., when entrance glass and more relaxed party scene, the sound of breaking glass echoed restricting stairwell and with fines down over 30 per cent from 2024. from the dorms’ open windows. floor access. The University District Within minutes, a police cruiser “We [Queen’s] Safety Initiative (UDSI), a arrived, followed by multiple fire recognize this incident period of time where there’s trucks, ambulances and Campus was distressing, and Security and Emergency Services. we regret the impact increased police presence in “Officers arrived on scene it has had on students the University District and at approximately 5:35 a.m. and in Waldron. Queen’s greater fines for nuisance parties and noise, is set to conclude on OBTAINED BY THE JOURNAL is located a male in a mental health Emergency crews respond to Waldron Tower break-in. committed to Nov. 2, after being active since Oct. crisis,” Kingston Police wrote in a He said the man sprinted down Tom Gallini, Assistant Director maintaining a safe and supportive 17. According to a media release statement to The Journal. “The the hall, yelling and slamming (Residence Life and Services), said, living environment for all students. from the Kingston Police, in total, male had used his hands to break his hands on the walls. “I locked at the meeting, that “events like this As we continue to review and 49 tickets were issued over the numerous windows on the first and myself in the laundry room and are very, very rare on campus.” enhance safety measures, homecoming and FOCO weekends, second floors of Waldron Tower.” immediately let the Waldron group Students expressed frustration we will provide updates and continuing a downward trend Police took the man into custody chat know there’s something going aboutwith the ease of access communications to students in with 73 tickets in 2024 and 135 safely before he was transported on,” he said. to the building and the lack of Waldron,” the University wrote. in 2023. to Kingston General Hospital for Videos shared by students security present. Gallini said Residence Life Homecoming weekend psychiatric evaluation. showed the broken windows, and Gallini said a full review is Services will work with Campus saw more fines handed out “A parallel criminal investigation the man later sneaking around the underway. “We [Residence Life and Security and Emergency Services compared to FOCO, with 11 is also underway,” Kingston Police ledges by the second-floor windows. Services] try to strike a balance to explore potential security tickets distributed in compliance said in their statement. “The status Aboudaoud said when he walked between the place being secure and enhancements, including with the Liquor License Act of the charges will depend on out later, he saw shattered glass and also people being able to go about reinforcing the front doors and (LLA) and 17 for the Highway the total damages caused.” Police blood on multiple surfaces. “The their lives,” he said. “This isn’t the restricting floor access. The incident Traffic Act (HTA). In comparison, stated there’s is no ongoing risk to second-floor bathroom had blood end of the conversation.” will also be reviewed by the Housing FOCO weekend saw 17 tickets the public. smeared all over the walls,” he said. In an e-mail to Waldron residents, and Ancillary Services Safety and related to the LLA and 4 for the HTA. The total value of these fines Amir Aboudaoud, ArtSci ’29, “Straight out of a horror movie.” Residence Life said the individual Security Committee. witnessed the incident from a Emergency crews remained on wasn’t affiliated with the University. Mental health supports, including wasn’t disclosed. There was also an arrest residence common room with scene until around 7 a.m. as they Staff and contractors completed drop-in counselling and same-day for an impaired driving another resident. “It was 5 a.m., worked to remove the individual biohazard cleanup and window therapy appointments, have been incident and a separate arrest for a I heard multiple large bangs,” from the ledge and transport him to repairs within hours, followed by made available to affected residents. dangerous driving incident. By-law enforcement saw their own penalties distributed. While no bylaw enforcement fines were handed out over homecoming, FOCO led to 10 Administrative Monetary Penalties being distributed, and three Nuisance Party tickets. In total, $8,000 Lilly Meechan & fines were handed out, according Yael Rusonik Some students are reporting that, The co-presidents explained its commitment to “artistic to a spokesperson for the Assistant News Editors with this reduction in individual that there have been cuts made excellence,” the DAN school City of Kingston. DAN School of Drama and Music lessons, the music program at to the number of applied lessons co-presidents argued that some Over the two-party weekends, students say recent cuts have Queen’s no longer meets industry offered. They said that the students have either already 539 parking tickets were undermined their education and and educational standards. The cuts University’s offering half as many transferred or are considering distributed, with five cars left the school in crisis. have also resulted in the departure applied lessons, with many being in leaving the school, citing a lack being towed. On June 16, students were of multiple professors and key groups rather than being individual, of transparency, consultation, informed by Director and Associate staff members, with some being despite promises made to students and the erosion of promised represents a more fundamental Professor Julia Brook of new let go and some making the choice when they enrolled at the school. education standards. breakdown that could be changes coming to their programs. to depart. “We [performing arts students] The University didn’t provide a detrimental to students’ postCuts to the DAN School have The 2025-26 Co-Presidents of were promised a level of training comment to The Journal on how graduation outcomes. resulted in the amount of applied the DAN School student council, when we accepted our offers,” said many students have enrolled in “Applied music lessons are music lessons —one-on-one Sophie Wilson, ArtSci ’26, and Ella Hammett. “And they’ve (Queen’s) or transferred out of The DAN standard at every university-level lessons with professors—being Hammett, ArtSci ’27, voiced their just taken it away halfway through School in recent years, despite music program. Once a week. reduced by half or converted to concern over recent changes made our degrees.” Wilson said. specific questioning. One-on-one. That’s the minimum,” group formats, according to DAN to programming in an interview Despite a statement from Hammett shared that, in Hammett said. School student council presidents. with The Journal. Queen’s affirming to DAN students her perspective, this cutback See DAN School on page 2 Emmet Paradis First Year Intern
and ongoing safety concerns.
DAN School left in turmoil due to budget cuts ‘I don’t want to work for people who don’t appreciate me, and who don’t see the value in a good music education,’ former professor says
OPINION - PAGE 08 FEATURE - PAGES 5-6 NEWS - PAGE 3 Lilly Meechan: ArtSci Faculty Board Eva Sheahan: Behind the scenes of Vanessa Vine: Student fostering is the bridge between shelters and HOCO & FOCO adresses it’s ‘unclear’ future abandoned animlas queensjournal.ca
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ARTS & CULTURE - PAGE 14 Daniel Gill: Limestone Animation puts Kingston on the big screen with R.L. Stine adaptation @queensjournalnow
POSTSCRIPT - PAGE 16 Mabel Johnson: Witnessing cancer up close inspired my quest to understand it @thequeensjournal