Queen's Alumni Review 2009-2 Review Plus
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CAMPUS NEWS • PARADISE UNDER THREAT REVIE W plusVOL. 4, ISSUE 2, 2009 The “hopeful ” romantic Andrew Westoll, Artsci’00, explores Suriname, a tropical paradise under threat PREFER YOUR NEWS IN A DIGITAL FORMAT? Subscribe to the electronic editions of Alumni Review and ReviewPlus It’s free. It’s easy. Send an e-mail note to [email protected] I I I CONTENTS RP3 CAMPUS NEWS RP3 Trustees unhappy with deficit budget; divers hope to prove shipwreck is War of Volume 4, Issue #2, 2009 TWTU British flagship; new Michael Ignatieff book has Queen’s connection, ReviewPlus, the Golden Gaels selected in CFL draft; digital supplement of the Queen’s awards eight honorary degrees, Queen’s Alumni Review magazine, is produced four times annually and much more. and is posted on-line in February, May, August, RP6 COVER STORY and November. THE “HOPEFUL” RP6 EDITOR ROMANTIC Ken Cuthbertson, Arts’74, Law’83 The Riverbones, the first book by [email protected] Andrew Westoll, Artsci’SS. is a KEEPING IN TOUCH NOTES EDITOR provocative account of his travels in Andrea Gunn, MPA’07 [email protected] Suriname. Writing the book was an eye- ART DIRECTOR opener for Andrew, and he hopes that Larry Harris, Creative Services, reading it will serve as an environmental Marketing and Communications wake-up call for the rest of us. CIRCULATION AND BUSINESS MANAGER BY KEN CUTHBERTSON, REVIEW EDITOR [email protected] DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS RP10 ALUMNI TRAVEL Ellie Sadinsky EXPLORING “THE LAND OF DISCOVERY” Opinions expressed in this e-zine are not necessarily those of Queen’s University Many Queen’s alumni who live in or of the Queen’s University Alumni Canada look forward to an annual Association. vacation in sunnier climes. Each April, Please address correspondence, inquiries, for the past four years now, and comments to [email protected]. JOANNE HUNTER, ARTSCI’80, ED’81, and her husband have enjoyed the sun and hospitality of one of Europe’s quaintest holiday destinations. For advertising inquiries, address e-mails to RP14 OPINION [email protected] PARADISE UNDER THREAT GABRIELA (SCHILLING) GRABOWSKY, ARTSCI’78, and her partner make their home in the mountains of BC’s scenic interior, “off grid” and TV km from her nearest neighbour, yet the future of their wilderness paradise is uncertain. With nowhere else to turn, Gabriela is making a desperate appeal for help from the only family she has – her Queen’s family. RP10 And don’t forget to check out the Winter edition of Q-Pod , the Alumni Review podcast. Music, feature interviews and your chance to win a valuable prize by answering our trivia question. Visit www.alumnireview.ca for all the details. COVER PHOTO: Andrew Westoll strikes an eerily Apolcalypse Now -like pose as he swims in the Suriname River. the traditional portuguese donkey is becoming a rare sight JASon Rothe photo couRteSy of AndReW WeStoll CAMPUS NEWS I I I Trustees unhappy with deficit budget The Board of Trustees has reluctantly approved the University’s agement over the summer to adjust the deficit projections for 2009-2010 budget. After extensive debate at its May meeting, the years two and three of the three-year budget plan. “I think we Board authorized a $360-million operating budget, which carries need to ask the administration to go back to the drawing board,” an $8.3-million deficit. said Young. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.” Said Board Chair Bill Young, Sc’77, “It’s bad financial manage - Several trustees voiced distress about the financial situation, ment for us to live beyond our means, and we must take the tough saying that the University needs to address spiraling compensa - steps to address this.” tion costs that comprise 70 per cent of the operating budget, and Steep declines in the University’s investment portfolio due to that the University can’t wait until union contracts expire. “We the global economic crisis, reduced government funding as a pro - need to throw traditional principles about pay out the door, be - portion of the operating budget, and increasing compensation cause the options are so brutal,” said Trustee David Pattenden, pressures led the University to create a three-year plan that aims Law’71, LLD’03. to bring expenses back into line with revenues. The budget in - Principal Tom Williams told the Board that discussions about cludes the first round of cuts towards a three-year fifteen per cent a proposed early retirement program are continuing with the cumulative budgetary cut for academic and administrative units. Queen’s University Faculty Association (QUFA). QUFA has re - “This is the first time in recent memory that the University is jected a proposal to close down the University for unpaid days actually budgeting for a deficit,” said Bruce Mitchell, acting board during the course of the year, which could save $400,000 per day. finance committee chair. “I’m concerned by statements of the Faculty Association that The projected deficit in 2010-2011 is $14.6-million, and in they don’t understand the nature of the problem,” said Principal 2011-2012, it will be $8.4-million. Adding in the $8.3 million Williams. “It worries me because the clock continues to tick.” shortfall in revenues for 2009-2010, the accumulated deficit by For more information on the university’s financial situation, 2011-2012 is projected to be $33-million, which Board Chair visit www.queensu.ca/principal/financialupdate.html or visit the Young calls “unacceptable.” Queen’s Gazette homepage. The Board’s finance committee will meet with University man - CELIA RUSSELL, QUEEN’S GAZETTE Divers hope to prove Lake Ontario shipwreck is War of 1812 flagship A psychiatry professor who studies how disease affects quality of Dianne Groll life will be doing research of a very different sort this summer, in inspects what the murky depths of lake ontario. may be the Along with other volunteer divers, dr. dianne Groll hopes to re - remains of the solve once and for all whether the remains of a 200-year-old ship - War of 1812 wreck in the waters off kingston is a flagship from the War of 1812. warship hMS one of the project’s organizers, Groll will join a group of nautical Wolfe, which have l l I h historians who plan to explore the remains of what may be the been located in e k I M Wolfe , the Royal navy warship of Admiral Sir James lucas yeo, who the waters of Lake y b commanded the british fleet on lake ontario during the conflict. o t Ontario just off o h the preparation work began the first weekend in May, when ma - p Kingston. rine archaeologists from parks canada’s underwater Archaeology Service ran a training course to certify divers who could help in the once the underwater work is done, marine archeologists will initiative. comb through archives at queen’s and in toronto and ottawa to “It’s delicate work,” says Groll, a member of the group preserve compare data and determine the identity of the historic ship. the our Wrecks kingston, “but it will be very exciting to finally identify group is looking for a variety of volunteers who would like to be this ship – especially if it turns out to be [yeo’s] flagship of the War part of the historical hunt. of 1812, as we hope.” “We need boats, and people to coordinate on-shore activities and divers who completed the May course received their nautical take videos,” says Groll. “there are a number of opportunities to get Archaeology Society level one certification. In early June, they’ll help involved.” other certified divers take measurements, make drawings, and pho - With the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812 fast ap - tograph the wreck site. proaching, this identification could play a significant part of the cel - the remains of the ship are lying in about 15 metres of water in ebrations. the mouth of navy bay, which is near fort henry. organizers expect for more information, please visit www.powkingston.org. it will take about three weeks of work to accurately survey the wreck. JEFF DRAKE, QUEEN’S GAZETTE WWW.AluMnIReVIeW.queenSu.cA RP3 I I I CAMPUS NEWS Queen’s faculty receive Ignatieff book has NSERC Discovery grants Queen’s connection A total of 68 queen’s professors involved in research ranging from “Loving a country is an act of the understanding our galaxy structure to next-generation wireless net - imagination. You love the coun - works to audiovisual speech perception are receiving $2.8 million try because it gives you the pos - sibility of sharing feeling and in funding through the discovery Grants program of the natural S e V belief. You cannot love the coun - I Sciences and engineering Research council of canada (nSeRc). h c R A try alone. The emotions you have “these awards reflect the continued breadth, depth and excel - S ’ n e lence of the research being conducted at queen’s,” says Vice-prin - must be shared with others in order e u cipal (Research) kerry Rowe. for them to make any sense at all.” q eighty per cent of the queen’s applications submitted were ac - So writes Michael Ignatieff in his federal liberal leader cepted this year, compared to 63 per cent nationwide, and total new book, True Patriot Love: Four Michael Ignatieff’s maternal funding to queen’s researchers is up by $200,000. Generations in Search of Canada great grandfather is the nSeRc discovery Grants program supports long-term uni - (Penguin Group, Canada). It begins legendary queen’s versity-based research and has recently been subject to two ex - with the story of legendary Queen’s principal George M.