REVELRY or RACISM?
They partied as Viet Cong guerrillas, Buddhist nuns, Mexicans in orange prison jumpsuits. Images of the students went viral and blowback was immediate. Some say they’re offensive, others say the reaction is overblown, but one thing is certain — all of Que
KINGSTON— As they walked between classes, stood in line to grab coffee, and wandered through the hallways of the John Deutsch University Centre on Wednesday, students across the Queen’s University campus were debating and talking about racism — a conversation sparked after photos of students attending a costume party went viral.
Professionally shot photos from the party showed some party-goers in orange jumpsuits wearing sombreros, while others were dressed in Buddhist robes, as Arab men and as Viet Cong guerrillas. The theme of the off-campus event, which was a drinking tournament, was “countries of the world.”
Images from the party were posted on Twitter on Monday by Toronto comedian Celeste Yim, who said she came
“Any event that degrades, mocks, or marginalizes a group or groups of people is completely unacceptable at Queen’s.” DANIEL WOOLF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY PRINCIPAL
across the photos on Facebook.
“A very shockingly racist party thrown by Queen’s students happened and the photos make me sick to my stomach,” Yim tweeted. “The costumes are indisputably and unequivocally offensive, tasteless, and should not be tolerated. Context and intentions have no bearing.”
The subsequent debate raged online, particularly in the Facebook group “Overheard at Queen’s,” populated by students. Many decried the stereotypical outfits, while others said they were not offensive and that reaction to the photos was overblown by people who are becoming overly sensitive.
Outside the John Deutsch University Centre, the main student building on campus, some wrote in bright blue chalk: “Make racists afraid again.”
Carling Counter, a fourth-year politics student, said tensions were high on campus Wednesday.
“It’s worked its way into almost every conversation I’ve had today. My professors know about it and everyone has an opinion on it,” she said. “It’s inescapable, which is a good thing. We should all be talking about it, no question.”
School leaders were quick to condemn the party. Queen’s student government, the Alma Mater Society, released a statement saying “actions like these make students feel uncomfortable and unwelcome on our campus.”
Queen’s principal Daniel Woolf also released a statement Wednesday saying he was “upset and disappointed” by the incident and wants to learn more “so that the university can take appropriate measures to address concerns that have arisen.”
“Any event that degrades, mocks or marginalizes a group or groups of people is completely unacceptable at Queen’s,” Woolf said.
This is not Queen’s University’s first brush with controversy over offensive costumes. In 2015, All Year Social, a Commerce Society committee, ran a similar event that was condemned by a campus social issues organization.
The organization raised concerns about culturally insensitive costumes, and the society decided to cancel the event. Saturday’s party was not affiliated with the Commerce Society or Queen’s University in any official capacity.
Bhavik Vyas, the president of the Commerce Society at Queen’s, has been frustrated watching the reaction to the photos and the assump- tion that the party was in some way connected to his organization.
“The perception is that commerce students are racists, partiers and rich snobs. When I think of commerce, I think diverse, critical thinkers and constant learners,” he said.
This week’s debate has been divisive. Ben Harper, who is a current Queen’s student, tweeted an article about the party with the caption “I’m watching my classmates discover that media pushes its agenda at the expense of facts.”
Carl James, the Jean Augustine Chair in Education at York University, said students need to be “more conscious about their behaviour and the implications of their actions.”
“I looked at the pictures and I keep thinking ‘What are they thinking? What do they want to convey and how do they understand the people and the culture that they’re trying to portray? And what has the university done in order to help them think through what they’re doing?’ ”
While some have said the costumes weren’t racist, James said he “would not dismiss racism as something that might underlie these things.”
“You can tell people who go here kind of live in a bubble,” first-year-student Dahir Dualeh told the Star. “They think it’s a costume, but to others, it’s not.”
On campus Wednesday, engineering student Colin Gill said the media blew the party out of proportion, while his friends Carter Gant and Jackson Kustec said the students should have known the costumes were offensive.
Queen’s student government said it hopes to use the event as an opportunity “to engage all students in discussion” about racism at Queen’s. With files from Ellen Brait