Colonization, Decolonization, Resurgence:
An Evening with Taiaiake Alfred

Taiaiake Alfred (Bear Clan Mohawk) is a Professor in Indigenous
Governance and in the Department of Political Science at the
University of Victoria. He specializes in studies of traditional
governance, the restoration of land-based cultural practices, and
decolonization strategies.

Tuesday February 14, 2012
6:30 PM
Queen’s Campus, Kingston Hall Room 201
All welcome

Sponsored by: Affinities: A Journal of Radical Theory, Culture, and
Action; Queen’s Cultural Studies Speaks; Four Directions Aboriginal
Student Centre; Queen’s Gender Studies; Queen’s Global Development
Studies; SSHRC: Indigenous Masculinities and Story Project; Queen’s
Studies in National and International Development

These events are brought to you by Queen’s Coalition against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination (QCRED), The African and Caribbean Students Association (ACSA), Queen’s Coalition of Black Intellectuals (QCBI), CFRC radio, Levana Gender Advocacy Centre and the Ban Righ Women’s Centre and Immigrant Services of Kingston Area (ISKA).

Tuesday Feb 7th: Ban Righ Centre hosting of Youth Documentary “A Girl Like Me” by Kiri Davis. Discussion will follow this event and the Facilitator is Stephanie Simpson of the Queen’s Humans Rights Office
Venue: 837 Princess St. Suite 500-501
Time: 5: 30- 7: 30 pm (space is limited so interested participants should call Gamilla Abdalla at 613 533 6000 ext 78119
(Light supper will be served)

Feb 9th: QCRED’s Each One Teach One – An informal meeting for discussion about experiences of racialized members of Queens. The Topic for discussion is “Deconstructing Black History Month”
Venue: QCRED office, JDUC Rm 343
Time: 6: 30- 9: 30pm
(Free Pizza will be served).

Friday Feb 10th: Panel Discussion on Black Identity from Pre-colonial times to now. List of Speakers include Dr. Barrington Walker of the History Department, Graduate Student Gosia K. Malolepsza and many more.
Venue: Ellis Hall Auditorium
Time: 6pm

Sunday Feb 12th: Join fellow sports enthusiasts as we watch the finals of the African Cup of Nations.
Venue: The Queen’s Pub (Upper Floor of JDUC)
Time: 2pm

Monday Feb 13th: “Forgotten Black Heroes”: A display of information and interesting facts about influential Black Leaders.
Venue: Lower Ceiligh of the JDUC/ Stauffer Foyer
Time: All week (13th- 18th)

Wednesday Feb 15th: OPIRG and CFRC and QCRED presents Black History Event with Anne-Marie Woods – Anne-Marie Woods is an artist educator, creative consultant, writer, producer and multidisciplinary artist who worked on CBC’s Metro Morning, is a columnist for Sway Magazine Online.

She brings her dynamic presentation, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You! Personal and Poetic Stories about how Black History & Herstory shaped my life as an Artist and Educator,” to Kingston
Venue: Dunning Rm 12
Time: 6pm

Tuesday Feb 28th: The Levana Gender Advocacy Feminist Reading Group reads: “Angela Davis- an Autobiography”. Join members of the group as they read and discuss this book.
Venue: Kingston Frontenac Public Library (main branch), 130 Johnson St (Boucher Rm)
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm

Tuesday Feb 29th: Tune into CFRC radio program 101.9 fm for exciting interviews, spoken word and music. Interviews will be centered on the Prison Industrial Complex and how their operation affects racialized folks.
Venue: Anywhere (all you need is a radio)
Time: The whole day

Wednesday, Feb 29th: A formal night long celebration with wine and Cheese. Invitees include Black Professors and Staff at Queens.
Venue: JDUC McLaughlin Rm
Time: 7 pm.

The last date to add/drop courses for 2011 is September 21st! Make sure to check this out before you make any final decisions.

This list was created by the current members of QCRED board based on their experiences with faculty who incorporate anti-racism into their teaching approaches. The list is meant to serve as a guide to students of colour and Indigenous students when seeking safer classroom spaces with professors who understand our experiences.

There are many faculty at Queen’s who have not been included on this first draft of the list simply because we have yet to take classes with them. We see this project as a working document that will continue to grow over time, with input from incoming and future QCRED members.

Please see our document and disclaimer for more info!

For questions or to obtain a copy for printing, please e-mail coordinator@qcred.org

Download the ProfList 10′ HERE.

Did you know the tuition for Queen’s undergraduate international students is going to increase again in September 2011?

In the 2009-10 academic year the Queen’s University Board of Trustees approved an increase in undergraduate international student tuition fees of 10% in the first year of study and 5% for each consecutive year of study.

The newest proposed increase replicates this proposal, seeking to increase tuition fees by 10% in the first year of study and 5% for each subsequent year of study.
Thus this year,
Engineering & Applied Science will increase from $23, 115 to $25, 427 in first year for 2011-12.
Arts & Science Tuition will increase from $18, 728 to $20, 601 in first year for 2011-12.

The fees assessed for undergraduate international students at Queen’s have increased dramatically since 2005, despite calls from numerous international students that unpredictable increasing fees are one of the greatest barriers they face in their pursuit of a post-secondary education at Queen’s. The Queen’s University Senate and Board of Trustees have both seen these concerns consistently articulated by international students since 2005 (see Dec. 5 Tuition Fees Report to Board of Trustees http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate/Nov27_08/TuitFees.pdf).

There is no cap on international student tuition in Canada. This means that post-secondary institutions are empowered to set tuition and can increase, decrease, or freeze it according to their own interests and priorities. At Queen’s, this has translated into the unfair burdening of international students with the university’s precarious financial situation.

Overwhelmingly, undergraduate international students are not informed upon enrolment that their tuition fees will increase in different proportions throughout their education. When tuition fees skyrocket year after year, payment plans students have in place become useless. This has had the effect of evicting some international students from the university.

For students from less affluent nations, where currencies and economies are most volatile, the unpredictability of tuition increases coupled with that of the exchange rate represents a daunting obstacle. Increasing tuition over a period of 5 years sends the message that the only international students welcome at Queen’s are those from affluent families and affluent countries. The message this sends to international students with less financial means or security is that they are not welcome at this institution. The overwhelming lack of opportunities at Queen’s for financial aid and merit-based scholarships for international students serves to effectively reward those who can purchase their degree rather than those who deserve it based on academic merit.

The consistent claims this university makes regarding its commitment to accessibility, equity, and diversity ring hollow in the face of such policies.

Queen’s University has consistently ignored the needs and interests of international students, and the continual unpredictable increase of tuition fees both speaks to the way international students are silenced at this institution, and to the types of international students this institution values – those from affluent backgrounds.

The discriminatory tuition fees assessed for international students privilege domestic students and create unfair and inequitable barriers to post-secondary education at Queen’s University. These practices point out the glaring holes in Principal Woolf’s “Where Next?” Academic Plan, which claims “internationalization” to be one of Queen’s University’s four guiding principles in the future.

Speak out against unpredictable increases to international student tuitions! Send a letter to one or all of the Board of Trustees Representatives and to the Provost to demand that they refuse this fee increase, freeze international student tuition fees, and decrease them to equitable levels.

Attend the Board of Trustees meeting THIS FRIDAY at 7PM in Robert Sutherland Hall.

PROVOST EMAIL:

Bob Silverman: Bob.Silverman@queensu.ca

BOARD OF TRUSTEE EMAILS:
David Dodge: dodged@bennettjones.com, ddodge@bankofcanada.ca
Daniel Woolf: principal@queensu.ca Adjust wording in sections mentioning “Woolf’s Vision”
Nick Day: rector@queensu.ca
Toby Abramsky: toby@keyprop.com
George Anderson: anderson@forumfed.org
Daniel Bader: dan@hbf.org
Mary Balanchuk: ???
Perry Bamji: p.bamji@queensu.ca
Donald Bayne: dbbayne@rogers.com
Kim Black: Kim.Black@sympatico.ca
Karyn Brooks: karyn.brooks@bell.ca
Bob Burge: burger@post.queensu.ca
Morgan Campbell: trustee@ams.queensu.ca
Louise Cannon: lcannon@scotiabank.com
Susan Cole: spc.cole@queensu.ca
Peggy Cunningham: pcunningham@business.queensu.ca
Merv Daub: daubm@queensu.ca
Graham Davis: gdavis@mines.edu or facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=684003029&ref=search&sid=81009402.1797572991..1
Jerry Del Missier: Jerr.delmissier@barcap.com
Sarah Jane Dumbrille: dumbrille@ripnet.com
David Grace: dgrace@eckler.ca
Jocelyn L. Hart: jhart@blgcanada.com
Ingrid Johnsrude: ingrid.johnsrude@queensu.ca
Gordon Keep: gkeep@endeavourfinancial.com
George Lavery: glavery@kingston.net
Joseph Lougheed: joseph.lougheed@fmc-law.com
Kathleen Macmillan: itpc@rogers.com
David Masotti: only could find facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=612267189
Dean McKeown: mckeown@cs.queensu.ca
Bruce H. Mitchell: bmitchell@permian.com
John Nesbitt: jnesbittmd@shaw.ca
Alfonso Nocilla: 7asn@queensu.ca
barbara Palk: barbara.palk@tdam.com
David Pattenden: davidpattenden@kos.net
Andrew Pipe: apipe@ottawaheart.ca
Donald Raymond: ???
Rob Sobey: rob.sobey@sobeys.com
Edward Speal: edward.speal@americas.bnpparibas.com
Peter Taylor: peter.taylor@queensu.ca
Innes Van Nostrand: ivannostrand@ucc.on.ca
David Whiting: david@merlan.ca
Bill Young: bill_young@monitor.com

FOR MASS-EMAILING:

dodged@bennettjones.com, ddodge@bankofcanada.ca, principal@queensu.ca, rector@queensu.ca,toby@keyprop.com, anderson@forumfed.org, dan@hbf.org, dbbayne@rogers.com,Kim.Black@sympatico.ca, karyn.brooks@bell.ca, burger@post.queensu.ca, trustee@ams.queensu.ca,lcannon@scotiabank.com, pcunningham@business.queensu.ca, daubm@queensu.ca, gdavis@mines.edu,Jerr.delmissier@barcap.com, dumbrille@ripnet.com, jhart@blgcanada.com, ingrid.johnsrude@queensu.ca,glavery@kingston.net, joseph.lougheed@fmc-law.com, itpc@rogers.com, mckeown@cs.queensu.ca,bmitchell@permian.com, jnesbittmd@shaw.ca, 7asn@queensu.ca, barbara.palk@tdam.com,davidpattenden@kos.net, apipe@ottawaheart.ca, rob.sobey@sobeys.com, edward.speal@americas.bnpparibas.com, peter.taylor@queensu.ca, ivannostrand@ucc.on.ca, david@merlan.ca,bill_young@monitor.com, dgrace@eckler.ca, p.bamji@queensu.ca, spc.cole@queensu.ca,gkeep@endeavourfinancial.com

Tuesday December 2nd
6PM-830PM
Location – Dunning 12

The AGM is designed to be a space to engage our constituents, Queen’s community members of colour and Indigenous community members.

At AGM, folks will learn about the roles of QCRED Board, our work over the past two years, as well as our programming and priorities. We hope to engage the thoughts/opinions/ideas/concerns/criticisms of our constituents. We see this as one means of holding the QCRED Board accountable to our mandate, goals and you, those lovely people we serve. We want to use the feedback gained from this session to set our goals and priorities for next semester as well as the long term vision for the organization.

Some questions we will be discussing:

1) What are the roles of white allies at Each One Teach Ones?
2) Who should we be outreaching to and how?
3) How are we meeting our mandate of serving the needs of Indigenous peoples and people of colour first? How are we not meeting it?
4) What should QCRED’s priority be? (education, service, advocacy, etc.)

If you have specific issues you would like to be addressed or questions you would like to raise, please let us know! E-mail coordinator@qcred.org

Tuesday October 12th
7PM-9PM
Robert Sutherland Room, JDUC

Come out for what promises to be an amazing panel as Indigenous alumni and alumni of colour speak out about their experiences at Queen’s, their struggles to survive racism and violence at the university, and their triumphs of resistance and building strong, supportive, and loving communities. Have your experiences validated, learn about what you can expect at this school and draw strength from fierce Indigenous students and students of colour who have survived and resisted the violence so prevalent at Queen’s before you.

The panel will feature:

Shauna Shiels, Artsci 07′, MA 09′
Dana Wesley, Artsci 09′
Usman Mushtaq, MSc Candidate in Civil Engineering
Stephanie Simpson, Artsci 95′, Coned 97′
Gloria Er-Chua, Artsci 10′

This event is part of QCRED’s Survival 101 Series, which aims to allow students, staff and faculty opportunities to build a stronger community of anti-racist and anti-oppressive folks on campus, and prepare incoming Queen’s students for their years ahead at the institution.

Don’t forget about QCRED’s FIRST EVENT OF THE YEAR ! TOMORROW NIGHT !

September 21st
Mythbusting

7:00 PM
Dunning 12

Where have all the people of colour and Indigenous folks gone? Our presence is marked by our absence in the history of our university. At least the version you get from Queen’s.

Get ready to disMantle the myths of Queen’s recruitment, admissions, and Orientation Week!

It’s time to smash the walls of lies and learn about the not-so-happy history of our school. This workshop will highlight some of the historical experiences of racialized members of the Queen’s community, from the 1800s to today. We will learn about the experiences of past students as well as the histories of resistance to the everyday violence unleashed by the university. It will also explore how Queen’s operates locally and globally to steal land, exploit labour, and extract resources from the Global South and Indigenous peoples around the world.

The much anticipated ProfList is finally online!

This list was created by the current members of QCRED board based on their experiences with faculty who incorporate anti-racism into their teaching approaches. The list is meant to serve as a guide to students of colour and Indigenous students when seeking safer classroom spaces with professors who understand our experiences.

There are many faculty at Queen’s who have not been included on this first draft of the list simply because we have yet to take classes with them. We see this project as a working document that will continue to grow over time, with input from incoming and future QCRED members.

Please see our document and disclaimer for more info!

For questions or to obtain a copy for printing, please e-mail coordinator@qcred.org

Download the ProfList 10′ HERE.

Thanks to everyone who came out to sidewalk sale to see us today! We made lots of new friends and are excited about our upcoming community building initiatives.

The Prof List document will be posted here soon! Check back soon for more info!

Remember that QCRED board is recruiting, if you are interested in becoming a board member please e-mail coordinator@qcred.org and be sure to check out the about us section for more info!

For the first time this year, QCRED will be hosting a Survival 101 Series for incoming students of colour and Indigenous students. The series aims to introduce students of colour and Indigenous students to community initiatives on campus that can assist them through their time at Queen’s. Revisit the website for locations and more info to come !

September 21st
Mythbusting

7:00 PM
Dunning 12

Where have all the people of colour and Indigenous folks gone? Our presence is marked by our absence in the history of our university. At least the version you get from Queen’s.

Get ready to disMantle the myths of Queen’s recruitment, admissions, and Orientation Week!

It’s time to smash the walls of lies and learn about the not-so-happy history of our school. This workshop will highlight some of the historical experiences of racialized members of the Queen’s community, from the 1800s to today. We will learn about the experiences of past students as well as the histories of resistance to  the everyday violence unleashed by the university. It will also explore how Queen’s operates locally and globally to steal land, exploit labour, and extract resources from the Global South and Indigenous peoples around the world.

October 1st
When the Tri-Colour Flag is Not Enuf, Where Do We Go?

Really? Did that person REALLY just say what you think they just said?

Instead of leaping through the line at Common Ground to shake them, screaming in the middle of your tutorial or bursting into tears at the Cafeteria by yourself, why don’t you figure out some of the safer places on campus to recover in? Often times at Queen’s it is these everyday encounters with blatant ignorance and racism both in and outside of the classroom that begin to tear us down. Instead of letting it, we need to support each other in getting through the daily traumas inflicted by this school.

This session is about introducing students of colour and Indigenous students to some of these spaces and some of the people in them. Here you will encounter food, friends, Boondocks, Margaret Cho, and a variety of resources including people to assist with healing.

Come hang out in the QCRED office, a safe space for you to claim whenever you need it, and learn about how safe spaces can help you survive your time at Queen’s.

October 12th
Breaking the Silence – Racism at Queen’s

Come out for what promises to be an amazing panel series as racialized students and alumni speak out about their experiences at Queen’s, their struggles to survive racism and violence at the university, and their triumphs in resisting violence and building strong, supportive, and loving communities of resistance. Have your experiences validated, learn about what you can expect and draw strength from fierce students of colour who have survived and resisted the violence so prevalent at Queen’s before you.

?
Community Building

The importance of community and building strong networks of support and solidarity cannot be underwritten, especially when struggling against the racist systems of oppression that permeate our university. This evening is designed to be a basis for building community across university boundaries to unite racialized students, staff and faculty in survival as well as dis-Mantling racism at Queen’s. We hope to break students, staff, and faculty out of the often cold and isolating environment that is the larger Queen’s community in order to create a supportive anti-racist network.

We hope for attendees to be able to make connections that can help you survive your years at Queen’s while fighting back against the racism and oppression so prevalent on our campus.