The Empress

Queen’s Clubs

There are clubs here at Queen’s for literally every single interest that exists. This following section doesn’t even begin to do it justice – but maybe this will give you an idea of what’s going on! Queen’s University Improv Team The Queen’s Varsity Improv Team is an improv troupe that specializes in improvised comedy similar to the style of the hit TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?” Every year…

Don’t Try to Look Cool

Froshies: “(n) freshmen. In particular, this word refers to inexperienced, bewildered college freshmen at the beginning of their first semester who are walking around trying way too hard to look cool. Did you see the campus on orientation day? It was crawling with froshies!” – Urban dictionary Come on froshies. Don’t try to look cool. For those of you froshlings that don’t know, this will be you.…

Parties, and Initiations, and Upper Years: First Years not in Res

Written by Decebal Michaud Greetings FYNIRS of the 2019 year!! I was FYNIR when I came to Queen’s and I had a blast in my own house. I have a twin brother so that made things slightly easier, but the same kind of housekeeping and cooking applies to any situation. What I can say about the experience that’s about to come is that faculty frosh week will completely immerse you in the university…

For all you froshies who are old enough, here are some sweet establishments to check out once you turn 19. Note – The Empress does not condone heavy/excessive drinking, underage drinking, or illegal activities of any kind. Queen’s Pub This is your typical university pub, located on the second floor of the JDUC. It tends to be crowded at night, so grab your seats early if you can! Good pub food…

What the !@#$ Should I Eat

Thank goodness Kingston has the most restaurants per capita. Double thank goodness that The Empress staff members have been scoping these places out! Here are some great options to start your adventures in food, venturing forth from the familiarity of the cafeterias. Stooley’s Café This diner is located 118 Division Street in the student ghetto and is also the best cure for a hangover. Serves…

The Many Ways of Getting in Your “150”: Sports and Fitness at Queen’s

Written by Yuki Liang Queen’s recognizes that there is nothing more important than your health. Sports is beneficial to every student, not just physically but mentally and socially as well. The best way to learn about getting involved in sports is going to Tricolour Open House at the very beginning of September. Varsity Teams/Clubs Sports and student athletes are at the centre of Queen’s spirit.…

The Whereabouts in Kingston

Written by Brian Fu and Jane Hey froshies, welcome to your new home for the next four years – the City of Kingston. It is a bountiful land, known for being the old capital of Canada, the location of two national prisons, and a city with a huge population of just around 120 thousand, most of whom are over the age of 50. You will enjoy Valentine’s Day so much, alone. Well, not to worry. The…

Online Banking: One Really Useful Thing They Never Taught You in High School

Written by Lucy X. Chen Online Banking: Your True Path Independence If you have an access card from any bank, then you should get yourself an online banking account. It’s mind-blowing how many upper year students still rely on parents to make all their bank transactions for them (and kind of embarrassing too). Paying your own bills online not only saves time (especially when it comes to…

Crash Course: Money Matters 101

Written by Brian Fu So it’s now your (possibly) first time away from home…and there is the tiny little problem that you won’t be getting your weekly allowance from your parents every week! But seriously, every person should learn how to manage their own money properly, and it’s really important to pick up this skill now so that you won’t have to learn it the hard way in the future. So, without…

Weird fun campus secrets you absolutely need to know

Written bBy Ivan Lin and Lucy X. Chen Free Movie Theatres Many lecture halls are not locked on weekend nights. So invite your best friends, bring popcorn, and connect your laptops to the projector for a big silver screen experience. Be sure to clean up after yourselves though. And NO you can’t party in there. Don’t make too much noise. Respect the space as you would during a regular lecture. “The…

Surviving Engineering, The Best Faculty Ever

Written by Brian Fu HEY SCI ’19 (OR, ARTS ’20. OR SLC’21. OR, SQUEEGEE ’22.) your first year in Engineering, froshies, and let’s hope that you actually do survive, like the title implies, and that you do pass 112, which, to be honest…is a bit of a stretch…So, here’s some tips and tricks that will hopefully help you out and make sure you succeed in your first year of engineering!!!!! Getting help…

A Quick Word About Res Stuff

Written by Genevieve Joseph-Mofford, Brian Fu and Lucy Chen The best thing to do on residence is take an hour and walk around your building. Get used to the layout of your building. Do it as a study break. Go on a week day, a Friday night. Weed out the places that are forever quiet, places that one can study at. Find the loud zone, the party area. If you need money, Victoria Hall, Leggott Hall,…

PHEelin’ INcredible at Queen’s

Written by Crystal Faquiri If you read the cleverly worded pun in the title and didn’t automatically cringe, chances are that you’re a loud and proud froshie entering into the beautiful world of PheKin. I may be a little biased when I say that PheKin is hands down the best faculty in this entire university, but you’ll experience all of that for yourself upon immersion into this wondrous program.…

Success is not a Formula Sheet

Written by Jane Goodman In first year, I clung to my physics formula sheet like it was my lifeline, plugging in numbers to various formulas, hoping that one of the outcomes would match accordingly to A, B, C, or D. In calculus, that lifeline, the formula sheet that summed up 13 weeks of notes, had to be mentally stored and processed where only intuition and practice could (albeit hopefully)…

Shake Your Booty!!: A Declassified Guide to the Con-Ed Life

Written by Joola Coke-Talbot So you want to be a teacher, eh? Here’s a quick slick guide to the Con-Ed life. First off, give yourself a huge pat on the back! Out of the thousands of applicants to Con-Ed, you were one of the few chosen to be a part of the Con-Ed family. Welcome! You should feel very proud of yourself. I know that starting a new chapter in your life can be slightly daunting, so…

Be the Best of Goodes

Written by Laureen Hu and Jane Shui HEY FROSH COMMIES, feeling a little up there because you made it into QSB andoutcompeted all your fellow high schoolers? Well, here is a wake-up call for you. You are far from done. The hell has just begun. Wake-up call 1: Get Your Ass Busy So, you might have been the president for your local rotary club; you might have been the valedictorian for your high…

For Arts’ Sake: A Guide to Academic Writing and Other Stuff

Written by Lucy X. Chen Remember the time you got a shiny A+ for ranting about “world piece [sic]” in high school? Those halcyon days are over, froshie. Now no one gives a crap about your opinions, because everything has to be supported by “evidence”.1 Welcome to the world of creative copying essay writing. Expect to get (falsely) accused by that one bleary-eyed engineering kid on your floor for…