photo cred: Christina Blals - Queen's JournalRight around sunrise on Thursday morning of last week, my father, Richard Gould decided to give me a call. This is nothing new, as after four years, he still can't grasp that the university schedule for most students revolves around being nocturnal. I rolled back over and went back to sleep, only to be greeted by a voice mail from him later that day. It forewarned of the dangers that awaited me in Kingston this past weekend.
For you see, the legendary event that is Queen's Homecoming took place over the last 3 days. Or should I say "Queen's Not Homecoming" as it was referred to. After years of antics, rioting, car tipping and a laundry list of other offenses, the university finally had had enough. With the administration cancelling homecoming, students rebelled by orchestrating this year's events via social media and ensuring that the party stayed alive. Roughly 5,500 people made their way into the city this past weekend, including my friend Tom Kirby and I.
photo cred: Tyler Ball - Queen's JournalI'll be the first one to admit however, that this year's homecoming was toned down in comparison to past years. Although the kegs were flowing and the downtown core was packed, the student body was in constant paranoia over the fascist dictatorship that Kingston had turned into. With Riot, Undercover and Mounted Police on the scene, and tasers and other "fun-guns" in effect, students were harassed and attacked on all fronts. Citizen rights were destroyed as Kingston police and OPP shoved and questioned friends and students.
Are there any solutions to this madness? It seems to be a never-ending argument between the students' association and the administration. In addition, at what point does this level of surveillance and authority become acceptable? The rights and freedoms of the students who pay and fuel the university should not be stripped or pressed at any point. Homecoming events take place annually all over North American. When will Queen's get the message that canceling the event is not the answer, but proper organization and moderation over the three day event?
I'm not sure if you can still count on student rights and freedoms to support the notorious Queen's homecoming which for several years has degraded into a progressively more violent and riotous ceremony. Student's don't have the right to tip over cars. That's pretty crazy. All things considered the response is quite tame; in some states they would shut that down completely.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it also illegal to have kegs if you're selling it? In London we can't even have keg parties, never mind flowing through the streets in huge crowds like that. I'm not saying they should stop keg parties, but I'd consider this a reasonable response to a growing, systemic problem in Kingston.