Maeve Avis Kozar
About a month ago, it was revealed that the individual behind the massively sexist Facebook page Kings of Queens was in fact an employee of the university. It should go without saying that it is seriously concerning that an employee of Queens felt comfortable enough to create and run such a hateful page. The page has since been shut down after receiving a wave of attention from being shared on the Facebook group Overheard at Queens.
During this term, there was also the horrendously inhumane poem posted in Chown Residence targeting Indigenous and queer students. Earlier this year, there was also the incident of racist and anti-Semitic graffiti appearing in multiple spaces around campus. During my first year at Queen’s, I personally encountered a piece of graffiti proclaiming “Queen’s Nazi Club”. I have been at Queen’s for three years, and nearly every single term, there is a new racist graffiti incident, sexist online post, or any other public offensive and discriminatory statements made.
We need to seriously consider the culture here at Queen’s. It is certainly unique, but there needs to be more accountability for blatantly offensive behaviours and actions. The entitlement here can sometimes be shocking. From hanging immensely misogynistic and stomach-turning sheets on move in day to getting upset about new noise by-laws, some students at Queen’s espouse a certain type of strong entitlement. Perhaps this stems from the belief that we, as residents of both Queen’s and Kingston, largely support the city’s economy and are therefore inherently allowed a general rude disregard for fellow Kingston residents. This feeling of entitlement may also be fuelled by the culture on campus.
Pride is one thing. Discriminatory behaviours stemming from entitlement and superiority complexes are certainly another. As students, we are impacted by these acts on campus, especially those who are directly targeted and threatened. We are told that the university is looking into these situations but rarely do we receive closure on what has been done to restore dignity and justice to those attacked. There not only needs to be more communication between authority figures at Queen’s and the students who live and work here, but also are larger consideration of the toxic culture ingrained in Queen’s University.
Comments