Coroner's Report links alcohol to the deaths of two Queen's students.
(May 2011) The long-awaited Coroner's Report on the deaths of two Queen's students last year has been released. One student fell from the sixth floor of Victoria Hall residence, and the other fell through a skylight on the roof of Duncan McArthur Hall.
The coroner has harsh words about how Queen's University has failed to adequately deal with the issue of alcohol and drinking by Queen's students.
The Queen's Student Code of Conduct states that students should obey all laws pertaining to the sale, possession, or consumption of alcohol. Yet from what we have seen, Queen's has taken little and insufficient action against students who have been convicted in the courts of violating those liquor laws. This lackadaisical attitude by the university and by the Alma Mater Society has, in our view, sent the wrong message to students, with tragic consequences.
This matter is clearly of concern to the Regional Coroner. Among his recommendations: Student alcohol issues should not be governed by peer groups--i.e. the AMS and the SGPS.
We agree. SONAG has met stiff resistance to our demand that the Queen's should cease being the an exception in North America by delegating non-academic discipline to the students. We regretfully cannot see a full return to good town-gown relations until the University takes back this responsibility. No more excuses; Queen's must act!