the journal Queen’s University
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Vol. 153, Issue 3
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M o n day , J u ly 2 8 , 2 0 2 5
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Situated on the
traditional lands of
the Anishinaabe and
Haudenosaunee peoples.
Since 1873
Annual ORT Mystery Concert scrapped for incoming students
University cites ‘safety concerns’ in decision to remove the concert Jonathan Reilly Senior News Editor This fall, first-year students won’t be crowding Miller Hall’s lot for a surprise show. The Orientation Mystery Concert, a long-standing event featuring a surprise headliner exclusively for incoming first-year students, has been removed from this year’s orientation schedule. Past years have included headliners such as Yung Gravy, Marianas Trench, and, most recently, the student band Carnelian. The event was reassigned to the Campus Affairs Commission (duringCAC) during a the January AMS Assembly
Roundtable (ORT) portfolio to the Campus Affairs Commission (CAC) after a survey allegedly indicated first-year students viewed the event as costly and preferred larger performers. The Journal was denied a copy of the survey results to verify the AMS’s findings. This survey prompted the change to move the concert outside of ORT’s responsibility, with the idea of offering it to more than just first-year students In an interview with The Journal, President Jana Amer and ORT Coordinator Ali Haider—soon
University, just not allowing space on campus to allow for the mystery concert or [provide us] insurance to sanction the mystery concert. So that really put us in a position where our hands were tied.” In a statement to The Journal, the University said the decision to cancel the concert was made “jointly” with the AMS, but AMS didn’t explain the reasons that led to the cancellation. “In 2024, the University and the 2024-2025 AMS and ORT executive teams engaged in a series of collaborative discussions about ongoing safety concerns with the ORT Mystery Concert. Jointly, the two groups determined it wasn’t possible to mitigate the risks associated with this event,” the University added. The University explained that
face off in one of the first football games of the season. This game will feature first-year specific programming, and serve as an introduction to Queen’s spirit, tradition, and the Gaels community,” the University wrote. Amer later clarified what kind of issues were taken with the concert, pointing out reports to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services (SVPRS). “I think there was a lot of worry about just the kinds of things that would happen within a concert, mainly an open floor concert, [...] and previous incidents that have been reported to the SVPRS,” she said. Haider a l s o explained that incoming first-year students have received schedules indicating the concert will no longer be
run, but then they’re also aware of the university wide events that take place, so they know that a concert will not be taking place” Haider said. After the interview, The Journal followed up to determine whether the removal of the concert has been explicitly communicated to firstyear students, or if it’s been implied to students through its removal from the schedule. Despite the request, The Journal didn’t receive a clear answer. M ov i n g
another event will take place in the concert’s absence. “This year, we’re [the University] excited to feature a Friday night football game as part of Fall Orientation. On Friday, September 5, 2025, Queen’s and Laurier will
taking place. “First-year students are fully aware [of the change], we have a lot of schedules going out. Each of the faculties have their own individual events that they
Amer explained the goal is to run a concert after the two-week orientation period but within the fall months.
forward, Amer expressed that the AMS is still planning on running a concert by the CAC in upcoming years. While she couldn’t offer specific details, explaining it’s still in the planning phases,
FIRST YEAR IN FOCUS
and was originally set to be restructured into a nonmystery style concert. At the a s s e m b l y, previous 202425 Vice-President (University Affairs), Ruth Osunde, justified the a switch from the Orientation
to be replaced by Jonathan Shenouda as ORT Coordinator following Haider’s resignation— explained why the concert won’t be taking place this year. “Having it happen during the orientation period was something that raised a lot of alarm bells for the University,” Amer said. “It kind of came down to the
Queen’s Pub AI post leaves a bad taste in the mouth of students Nurzynski confirmed the use of generative AI, citing logistical reasons. “Since these were menu items that didn’t exist on our regular menu, there were no existing photos of them. In situations like these, you have to consider factors involving minimizing food waste, cost-efficiency, and delivery times of the products we are looking to promote from our suppliers,” Nurzynski said. “We also wanted to have adequate time to market these
Jonathan Reilly: AMS posts “Cancel Canda Day” on Instagram, receives backlash
FEATURES— PAGE 6 Eva Sheahan: Students voice concern over Queen’s roommate selection process
products, so students were aware of the specialties available to them. Considering these factors, AI was used to provide the images.” But the situation escalated after the pub posted an Instagram story claiming, “Photos are 100 per cent real and not AI-generated,” a statement later walked back following an inquiry from The Journal. “[The] Post’s intention was meant to poke fun at ourselves and provide humour over the situation as a way to humanize the staff
behind the service. Our student staff are new to their roles, and these are situations that can be tricky to navigate,” Nurzynski said. She also clarified that communication decisions typically involve consultation between service managers and permanent staff, with final oversight varying by service, but ultimately falls under the responsibility of the executive. Nurzynski, who ran on the platform of transparency this past winter, was quick to reaffirm that its top priority, though acknowledged the organization is still learning how to navigate AI usage. “When it comes to our services, they reinforce our mandate of providing experiential, out-ofclassroom opportunities to develop skills and learn. I want to emphasize that, given how new AI is, we’re all still learning how to navigate its
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Fake food pictures and a joke gone wrong sparks backlash
Meghrig Milkon Editor in Chief
Queen’s Pub’s AI post stirs more than appetite. A Queen’s Pub promotional post, now deleted, was shared during Convocation Week and titled “Your Parents Are in Town,” which included two AIgenerated images of menu items, steak and salmon, that hadn’t yet been made by the chefs. In an interview with The Journal, Vice-President (Operations), Elena NEWS — PAGE 3
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use. This has been a great learning opportunity for everyone involved, and will ultimately help our staff and organization evolve,” Nurzynski said. But for some students, that misstep raised larger questions about trust, transparency, and student representation. Kaan Sumer, CompSci ’26 and former AMS Social Issues Commissioner (External), criticized the use of AI, knowing that this can be a chance to get more students to do the graphs for them. Beyond providing opportunity to the student body, Sumer saw the use of AI as a disrespect towards the chefs working and making the dishes at the pub.
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POSTSCRIPT—PAGE 20 Meghrig Milkon: Queen’s wasn’t my dream, but it was my story