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This past weekend Queen’s enjoyed a very successful Homecoming and ReUnion Street celebration which drew over 4,000 alumni back to Queen’s over the weekend. Unfortunately, numerous unsanctioned off-campus parties and the irresponsible behaviour that occurred alongside those gatherings, has led to a number of police charges, over a dozen arrests, and of greatest concern – taxed Kingston’s emergency and medical services, which placed other patients at risk.

The City of Kingston, the police, fire, ambulance and hospital staff have all echoed the broader disappointment and disgust of Kingston residents at the behaviour exhibited by thousands of partiers that filled our off-campus neighbourhoods over the weekend.  

I share the community’s concerns and its disappointment. While not all of those arrested at these unsanctioned parties were from Queen’s, almost a third of those arrests involved our students. There were numerous disturbing reports of intoxication and aggressive and disrespectful behaviour towards first responders and medical staff. Bad behaviour such as intentionally urinating inside an ambulance took that vehicle out of service for decontamination, and sheer numbers of alcohol-related sickness overwhelmed emergency rooms and took beds away from other serious medical incidents.

The majority of these perpetrators were apparently adults, including many Queen’s students, yet they failed to behave as we expect adults to behave. Those that were charged will certainly have to face the consequences like adults.

I take this issue seriously. This year the university provided increased education around alcohol awareness and safe drinking, we ensured more food and water was available for students, and increased awareness of student help services and walk home services. However, regulating off-campus parties remain a challenge. 

Last year, Queen’s wrote to the City asking them to examine available options to provide greater enforcement mechanisms and resources, which would help deter nuisance and unsafe behaviour, and to hold individuals and property owners accountable.  I will be meeting very soon with city officials, emergency services departments and officials from Kingston Health Science Centre to advance these efforts.

I am committed to ensuring the university works with neighbours, students, the City of Kingston and other stakeholders to continue efforts to reduce binge drinking, encourage safe and respectful behaviour, and enhance the enforcement mechanisms available to address off-campus parties.

We had a very successful Homecoming 2017 and ReUnion Street celebration, and thousands of alumni enjoyed a wonderful weekend that brought many benefits to the surrounding area. This was thanks to months of hard work and planning by hundreds of dedicated students and staff. Unfortunately the distasteful behaviour we all bore witness to during unsanctioned off-campus events, overshadowed that work in the minds of many residents due to the immediate and negative impacts it had on too many people’s lives.

– Daniel Woolf, Principal and Vice-Chancellor