Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bulsajo]

Queen's is a Canadian equivalent of an 'Ivy League' university.


http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20050926/ca_pr_on_na/queen__s_brawl

Queen's Univ. reviewing homecoming after 'drunken street brawl'; 35 arrests

Mon Sep 26, 7:33 PM ET

KINGSTON, Ont. (CP) - Queen's University officials and police said Monday they will examine the future of the school's annual homecoming festivities after a weekend street party degenerated into an alcohol-fuelled riot that saw drunken revellers pelting police officers with beer bottles and overturning and burning a car.

"Every aspect of our culture and traditions is going to be looked at critically to assess the role that it may play in the fostering of this kind of behaviour," said Patrick Deane, the university's academic vice-president.

Thirty-five people ranging in age from 17 to 30 were arrested and spent a night in jail cells after the mayhem late Saturday and early Sunday in this southeastern Ontario city.

"It just rained bottles," said police Insp. Brian Cookman. "You couldn't go into the mob without having a beer bottle go by your head at some point."

At least 18 criminal charges were laid in addition to 200 liquor law violations, and more are pending as police review video footage of the raucous events.

Any Queen's students identified as being involved in the melee will be "subject to discipline according to the university's discipline policy," Deane said.

"We are co-operating actively and energetically with the Kingston police."

A black police officer at the scene on Aberdeen Street, just north of the campus, became the target of racial slurs shouted by some among the crowd of 5,000 to 7,000 people, many of whom were intoxicated.

"This coming from probably one of the most liberal campuses in Canada," Cookman said.

Police Chief Bill Closs described the incident to the Kingston Whig-Standard as "a drunken street brawl," and said his officers were "subjected to the most vile and disgusting behaviour that a police officer could possibly encounter."

He also praised the restraint the 100 officers at the scene showed amid the violence.

Those arrested included a mix of Kingston residents and out-of-towners from as far as British Columbia who came for the party.

"It's quite clear that some of the people involved in Saturday's events were from outside not only the university community but even the local city community," Deane said.

Police met with university officials Monday to discuss the incident.

City residents and police are growing weary of rowdy crowds at homecomings.

During last year's festivities, police arrested more than a dozen people and laid more than 80 liquor charges when 5,000 revellers flocked to Aberdeen Street in another mass street party.

The university also sent a letter this year to 7,000 households in the school's vicinity acknowledging the problems that occurred during previous homecomings.

"It had been our intention to prevent it (the street party) from occurring this year," Deane said. "It's an event we have sought very, very actively to discourage."

A local rock radio station even aired a series of advertisements encouraging students to party responsibly.

It's the second time in the last week one of Canada's more reputable universities has been marred by bad behaviour.

A football player at McGill University in Montreal was suspended indefinitely after allegations arose that an 18-year-old rookie on the team was sodomized with a broomstick during an initiation ritual.

The school has since said it will revise its code of ethics to include a zero-tolerance policy for hazing.

George Soule, national chairman for the Canadian Federation of Students, said the incident at Queen's University is unfortunate, but does not represent students as a whole.

"It's pretty shocking," Soule said. "But it's not at all reflective of what students are actually like in Canada."

[VanIslander]

[canuckistan]

[Manner of Speaking]

Actually, I would argue that there is no such thing as an "Ivy League" university in Canada. It was my experience that if you got reasonably good grades in high school, came from the same province, and applied early enough, you could/can get into just about any university in Canada.

Then again, I went to university in the Maritimes. It was dead easy to get into the most 'prestigious' universities, and we had a lot of people from Ontario going to school at my university. Maybe there was a shortage of positions in Ontario universities, I don't know.

[RachaelRoo]

[Octavius Hite]

Manner of Speaking is correct on that, there is no ivy league in Canada and its a much better way of doing buisness, for the most part you can get the same undergrad education at any university in Canada and it will cost you about the same everywhere. The status of the Uni doesnt really matter until post-grad work.

[red dog]

Queens used to require a much higher average (at least from people applying out of high school) than U of T, McGill and most others. Don't know what the situation is now.

[Manner of Speaking]

Actually now that I think of it...I don't think there are any PRIVATE universities in Canada at all. I mean 100% privately funded, with no government funding.

I personally prefer a university system that allows for easy and flexible entry, but makes it challenging and rigorous to graduate. Anybody should be allowed to take a shot at university. Gatekeeping to get in just seems irrational and unproductive to me.

[Wrench]

[plattwaz]

Ah well....not only am I Queen's grad but I lived on Aberdeen for a year and hosted one of the famous Aberdeen Homecoming Keggers. Back in those days having two kegs and 200 people in your backyard was considered a huge successful party and a guaranteed visit from the police. Students went out of their way to know every liquor law and bylaw that we needed to "get around" and rarely more than a noise warning was issued.

For a long time, Queen's WAS considered the top university in Canada, along with McGill and U of T. However, with funding issues and cutbacks at Queen's, as well as improved facilities at other universities, Queen's has been seriously lacking in its ability to compete over the past 10 years or so. I would also say that a lot of Queen's former repuation surrounded the fact that it is one of the oldest universities -- as newer univerisities are gaining strength, a lot of the administration at Queen's have been content to sit back and rest on the old repuation, with little regard to their future, or attempting to build any competitive strength.

As for whether or not it is considered private, as someone above mentioned, the MBA program is private at Queen's, and the undergrad business program is well on its way. I believe the Applied Science (Engineering) Faculty is considering privatizing as well, or at least they were a few years ago.


However, when I was a student, Queen's was still famous for being an "old boys school" - students were there because their parents and grandparents went to Queen's, and most students were not of the "student loan type" - many had the attitude that they could to whatever they wanted, because Daddy's money was always going to bail them out of trouble.

Seeing the current behaviour - regardless of the reputation of the university, I think says more about the society and the way 20-somethings are behaving these days, than it does about the school itself. (Oh gawd I sound ollllldddddd!) Even if Queen's was a low-end, barely scraping by, last chance univiersity, I think that the behaviour is disappointing for adults of that age.

[peppermint]

I remember a friend from high school went off to Queens for University. When he came home for the summer, someone asked him what he'd learned there. He weakly replied, " What the inside of Kingstons drunk tank looks like.. " Apparently he'd been gone drinking and passed out in some public area.

[khyber]

one GREAT thing about UofA...
The ENTIRE Folkways collection resides there.
One of the most valuable collections of American music is sitting in the UofA libary.
nice.

[thepeel]

[Bulsajo]

1) I graduated from McGill. As did Canuckistan I believe. Queens and McGill are old rivals. 'Best & brightest' was, as 'Stan noted, meant to be ironic.
2) I stand by my description of Queens as 'Ivy League' only to the extent that it explains to non-Canadians that the school is considerd top tier, which it is. You disagree? Fine. I don't have a dog in this fight.

[Octavius Hite]

No Ivy League is good because it means that everyone is entitled to a similar undergrad experience/oppertunity. Unlike in America where only the rich and privileged can afford to go to the Ivy Leauge (GW Bush) and the occasional poor minority let in to meet the affirimative action quotas.