AMS Annual Report, 2011-12

Publication Credits
Editor-in-Chief: Taylor Mann Thanks To : Tristan Lee Rob Gamble Annette Bergeron Greg McKellar Doug Johnson Mira Dineen Lyn Parry Janice Kirkpatrick The Publishing & Copy Centre
Printed By:
Alma Mater Society John Deutsch University Centre Queens University Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6 Tel: (613) 533-3001 Fax: (613) 533-3002 Website: www.myAMS.org
Alma Mater Society
Editors Note
The Alma Mater Society of Queens University, or AMS for short, is no ordinary organization. The AMS is one of the most engaged, vibrant, and active student governments in Canada. Representing the needs of over 14,000 undergraduate students at Queens University, the AMS has an annual operating budget of over $14 million and is the only exclusively student-run organization of its kind in the country. This report represents the hard work of over 1,000 volunteers and 500 paid staff, who collectively have complete oversight of the Societys activities. Included within are overviews of the operations and activities of all the commissions, offices, and corporate services of the AMS, as well as explanations of the AMS governance structure, mission and mandate, and strategic goals. Although the focus of the Annual Report is to review the previous year, this document also looks forward to the ambitions and demands of the coming year.
Annual Report 2011-2012
Alma Mater Society
Alma Mater Society Annual Report 2011-12
Table of Contents
08 21 30 38 48 56 Society Commissions Offices Services Financials Society Directory 2011-2012
Alma Mater Society
Overview of the Society

The Queens Universitys Alma Mater Society (AMS) was founded in 1858 and is the oldest student government in Canada. The AMS was incorporated in 1969 as a non-profit organization without share capital. The Alma Mater Societys constitution takes priority over all other student societies and organizations to which its members may belong. The Societys highest legislative body is the AMS Assembly which consists of representatives from all of the following AMS member societies: Arts & Science Undergraduate Society Engineering Society Aesculapian Society Physical & Health Education and Kinesiology Students Association Nursing Science Society MBA Students Society Commerce Society Concurrent Education Students Association Computing Students Association
The voting members of the AMS Assembly also comprise the voting members of the Corporation, and in this capacity annually elect a Board of Directors. This board is responsible for overseeing the management of the Alma Mater Societys corporate services and associated financial affairs, and more broadly, for ensuring the financial viability of the Society. Membership in the AMS is automatically extended to all students of the University who are enrolled in at least one course in one of the member faculties/programs listed above, and who have paid the full slate of AMS mandatory student activity fees. Each student normally belongs to a member society as well as the AMS and enjoys the rights and privileges of both societies. AMS members enjoy the right: to vote in all Society elections and referenda; to hold offices or positions within the Society, subject to the restriction of the office or position, as outlined by Assembly and/or Board Policy; to attend meetings of the Society subject to the rules of procedure as prescribed by the AMS Constitution; to move or second motions at such meetings; to speak for or against any motion; to vote at Society Annual Meetings or Society Special General Meetings; to gain admission to and/or actively participate in any Society sponsored event and/or program subject to any restrictions of the particular event and/or program.
SOCIETY
8 Alma Mater Society
10 11 15 18 19 20
Mission Statement & Mandate Brief History of the AMS AMS Assembly Board of Directors Student Life Centre The AMS Executive
Mission Statement & Mandate

AMS Mission Statement To serve and represent the diversity of students at Queens University. AMS Mandate 1. To represent Queens University students within the university and externally by working to further the best interests of the members of the AMS, giving particular concern to representation on issues related to education. 2. To provide services and activities to students, as well as to act in a facilitating role for services and activities where appropriate. 3. To cultivate a sense of social awareness and responsibility in its membership. 4. To serve as a liaison between the various affiliated student societies.
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Alma Mater Society
Brief History
The Alma Mater Society is the oldest student association in Canada and, in fact, is nine years older than Canada itself. Growing out of the old Dialectic Society, a debating group founded in 1943, the AMS was established as the central student government at Queens in 1858. The original objectives of the society were the defense of students rights, the facilitation of discussion, the promotion and encouragement of learning, and the furtherance of the general interests of the University. Until virtually the end of the 19th century the AMS remained essentially a debating society, conducting weekly meetings where essays were read and debates took place after any official business was conducted. Nevertheless, during the 1860s the AMS was responsible for securing a study week prior to examinations and for securing some space for athletic activity. In 1877, a new constitution was created which reflected the importance to the AMS of preserving the attachment of alumni to the University and maintaining the bond between all members of the University. Interestingly, during this period the AMS president was required to be either a Queens graduate or a professor, and at least one of the three vice-presidents had to live outside of Kingston. In fact, it was not until 1920 that the AMS President could be a student, provided they were in their final year of study. In 1948, the constitution was amended to require the AMS President to be a student. By the turn of the century, the AMS constitution had been amended to underscore the shift toward the on-campus constituency and away from the 1877 emphasis on alumni. The AMS primary purposes were now the cultivation of literary, scientific and musical tastes, the encouragement of athletics, and the publication of the Queens Journal. The Alma Mater Society had now begun to assume its modern role of having full responsibility for administering and financing the large number of special interest student societies that had emerged on campus, and for representing the views of students to the Senate. One of the most important developments in AMS history also transpired in 1898. This was the official delegation of responsibility for non-academic discipline to the Alma Mater Society and its new AMS Court (now known as the AMS Judicial Committee). Previously this responsibility was held by the Senate under the Royal Charter that created Queens, although informally, the AMS had been delegated increasing jurisdiction in this area throughout the 1880s. Later, in 1936-37, the AMS introduced a system of student constables to maintain order at student functions. Both of these essential elements in student life remain to this day. The 1930s brought one highly significant development. Beginning in the early 1920s there was persistent discussion surrounding the introduction to Queens of the fraternities and sororities that were so popular in the United States. The opposition to them was strong, however, and was based primarily on the concern that loyalty to fraternities would diminish loyalty to Queens and that the very nature of fraternities and the exclusivity of their membership might jeopardize Queens democratic traditions. The AMS was in the forefront of these discussions and in 1930-31 revised its constitution to ban fraternities. Respecting students right to self-government, the Senate had remained relatively quiet throughout the issue. But in late 1934, in response to the strong AMS stance, passed a stillin-effect motion forbidding students who register at the University to form or to become members of any chapter of any externally-affiliated fraternity or sorority at or near Kingston.
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Brief History
During World War II, the AMS established a war aid commission to raise money for the war and other war related activities. The AMS levied a dance tax to raise money for the War and sold corsages for the Arts formal. During WWII, over 3,000 AMS members, alumni, and staff left Queens to fight in the war with 164 not returning. Throughout most of the 1900s, the AMS operated primarily as an amalgam of standing and ad hoc committees but in response to the rapidly expanding scope of its activities, it underwent a major restructuring in 1969. It was at this time that the commission system was created. The original commissions, designed to carve up AMS activity into distinct spheres, were Education, Services, Campus Activities, Judicial, External Affairs, and Budget and Finance. The commissioners, along with the AMS president and vice-president, comprised what was then known as Inner Council which carried out the basic day-to-day work of the AMS. The AMS legislative body, comprised of representatives from all the faculty societies, was known as the Outer Council. Inner Council and Outer Council are now respectively known as Council and Assembly. The commission system continues to thrive today, albeit with many modifications from its original form. Chief among these modifications were the creation of the Academic Affairs Commission in 1991 in order to house responsibility for both learning environment issues and external funding/tuition/student aid lobbying issues in one place; and the creation of the Municipal Affairs Commission in 1994 in recognition of the important and diverse nature of student interaction with the Kingston community. In the early 1990s, the focus of the Education Commission gradually shifted away from academic issues and towards a wide range social justice and equity issues. This proved to be a lasting change and that commission has been renamed Social Issues. In recognition of the growing concern among students re a wide range of environmental issues both on and off campus, in early 2011 the AMS 12 established the Commission of the Environment & Sustainability. In the mid-1970s, the AMS began establishing and operating significant commercial services on behalf of its members. Alfies Pub (originally known as the Underground) was created in 1976 and constituted a substantial expansion and relocation of the first AMS-run pub, founded in 1969. Alfies was soon followed by the Queens Pub (then the McLaughlin Room) in 1978. Additional major new services followed with the creation of the Publishing & Copy Centre and Walkhome in 1988; the Used Book Store in 1994; and The Common Ground eatery/nightspot in 2000. In response to longstanding requests from The Queens Journal for new and separate space, in 1990-91 the AMS purchased a house on Earl Street in which to relocate the newspapers operations. It has since been relocated to 190 University Avenue to make room for the Queens Centre. In 2005, the AMS purchased a longstanding card and stationary store in the JDUC which evolved into the creation of a major clothing, travel and used book retail service known as the Tricolour Outlet. The AMS established a Housing Service in 1968 which operated throughout the 1970s until the AMS pulled out in 1982. By way of a contractual agreement with Queens University the AMS sublet a number of university owned houses and apartments and acted as a landlord. The AMS administered all aspects of owning a house including collecting rent, arranging for repairs and running an annual housing lottery. The primary reason for the service was more student friendly handling of traditional landlord/tenant issues. When the AMS pulled out it oversaw 56 housing units serving hundreds of students.
Alma Mater Society
Throughout its evolution and growth, the AMS has maintained its longstanding commitment to traditional activities central to student life by facilitating Orientation, overseeing Model Parliament since 1946, and overseeing Model United Nations since 1987. In 1969, the AMS also created a corporation without share capital under the name of Alma Mater Society of Queens University Incorporated. One of the most significant structural developments over the past two decades has been the evolution of the role of the AMS Board of Directors in overseeing AMS services and managing the financial affairs of the corporation. The AMS conducted a comprehensive examination of the entirety of its operations in 1995-96 through a cross-section of student leadership known as Vision 2000. This group was responsible for creating the current AMS Mission Statement which is: To serve and represent the diversity of students at Queens. The Vision 2000 group identified three words critical to the AMS mission statement: Serve reminding us that at all times we are working for students; in essence the AMS is servant to student needs Represent - in representing students the AMS is acting as their agent articulating their views to groups both inside and outside the university Diversity underscores an AMS organizational imperative to serve and represent students of different ethnic backgrounds, ages, faculties, sexual orientations and socio-economic levels. AMS participation in federal external student federations has been limited. It has never been a member of the current Canadian Federation of Students, established in 1981, nor its predecessor, the National Union of Students that operated from 1972 to 1981. The AMS did, however, become a member of the Association of Student Councils, a not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1973 to provide discount travel. Provincially, the AMS became a member of the Ontario Federation of Students in 1974 and maintained that membership until 1992 when Queens students voted to leave.
The AMS subsequently became a founding member of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, which it left in 1995 only to rejoin in 2000. In 20092010, the AMS held observer status in the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) a federal student lobby group. The AMS decided to not align federally. Since its inception, the AMS had represented all students attending Queens University. However, that changed in 1981 when the Graduate Students Society, an AMS member society formed in 1962, voted by referendum to secede from the AMS. This secession was extremely amicable and grew out of a gradual, long-term, mutual recognition by the AMS and GSS that graduate students should have separate and autonomous representation. Subsequently, the AMS has seen both the Theological Society and the Law Students Society depart for membership within the GSS, known now as the Society for Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS). In 2006, the Rehabilitation Therapy Society departed for the SGPS when that program evolved into a graduate program. In 2009, the Education Students Society voted to depart the AMS. With the completion in 2009 of the initial component of the Queens Centre project, the AMS began discussions with the University administration designed to fulfill its decades-old desire to assume responsibility for operating and managing the student life space on campus. These discussions became serious negotiations over the 2010-11 academic year and culminated in an historic operating and management agreement signed in early 2011 that would transfer from the University to the AMS, administrative control over this important space. Effective May 1, 2011, the AMS would now oversee the John Deutsch University Centre, MacgillivrayBrown Hall, the Grey House (51 Bader Lane) and the non-athletic student life space within the new Queens Centre.
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Brief History (contd)

Currently the AMS represents roughly 14,200 students. It has grown to operate a wide range of retail, hospitality and media services employing over 500 students, and six commissions with over 1,000 student volunteers participating in advocacy, event organizing and charitable efforts.
Relying entirely upon the extraordinary efforts and talent of a singularly dedicated student body, the Alma Mater Society remains true to its roots, working diligently on enhancing both the academic and extra-curricular experience of its members while fostering important connections with the surrounding community.
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Alma Mater Society
AMS Assembly
Assembly is the highest legislative and decision-making body for the undergraduate student government at Queens University. It is comprised of roughly 40 representatives from the member societies, AMS Council, the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Rector, and the Undergraduate Trustee. The Assembly fulfils its mandate by debating reports, recommendations and motions as submitted by Council, the Faculty Societies, or any individual AMS member. It is constitutionally empowered to direct the Executive, Council or Board of Directors as they carry out their duties consistent with the best interests of AMS members. All AMS members are welcome to attend the biweekly Assemblies and submit motions. The 2011-12 Assembly was notable for approving a large number of amendments to the AMS constitution and policy manuals, which arose from a comprehensive document review conducted by the Executive. Internally, the Assembly approved the creation of two new committees within the fledgling Commission of Environmental Sustainability; a restructuring of the committees within the Campus Activities Commission; the creation of the Student Maintenance and Resource Team, a ground breaking service to be administered under the Municipal Affairs Commission; the creation of a Community Opportunities Facilitator position to enhance student employment in Kingston; and a complete overhaul of policy governing the election of the Rector. In September, the Assembly approved the efforts of the Municipal Affairs Commission to rebrand the student housing area adjacent to the University. Occasionally referenced as the Student Village, this area would henceforth be known as the University District in AMS communications. In January, the Assembly unanimously granted historic approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between the AMS and the University that established the conditions attached to the cessation of the AMS contribution to the unfinished Queens Centre project. Recognizing that roughly two-thirds of the construction project was indefinitely suspended, the contribution, originally set at $25.5 million, was capped at approximately $10.6 million with $1 million to be reinvested in the JDUC. In light of this development, and reflective of the newly transferred responsibility to the AMS for full administrative oversight of student life space on campus, the Assembly approved changes to the mandate of the Queens Centre Student Working Group. This body would now serve to consider how remaining student fee monies allocated to the Queens Centre could best enhance student life space and to oversee the management of any planned renovation projects. In February, the Assembly heard a detailed presentation from the Dean of Student Affairs Office setting out its proposal to establish a university-operated Co-Curricular Record to track intentional out-of classroom learning. The presentation received a very mixed response from the Assembly which posed a number of critical questions. Later in the year, the DSA decided not to pursue implementation of the Record based on a lack of support.
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AMS Assembly (contd)

After considerable discussion, the Assembly approved the creation of new AMS policy in the areas of virtualization in the classroom and cooperative education programs. At the end of March, the Assembly recognized the substantial growth of the Human Resources Office, and the demand for its services, by approving a new salaried position the Opportunities and Outreach Coordinator - to assist with the workload. In February, Assembly exercised its oversight responsibilities by conducting a comprehensive midyear review of the commissions. The AMS Annual General Meeting took place on March 20, 2012 and was once again held in Ban Righ Hall. Quorum for the AGM, a meeting during which all AMS members may vote, had been increased the previous year from 1% to 2% of the AMS student body. Unfortunately, the agenda was limited to a single motion and despite good efforts by the Communications Office to promote attendance, the turnout fell far short of quorum. Nevertheless, those members in attendance did confirm a $1.66 increase in the Queens Student Constables student activity fee to $10. Presentations by the Executive, Rector and Judicial Affairs Director were very well received and all three concluded with the message to incoming student leadership that it must be active and vigilant in order to maintain traditional levels of responsibility and autonomy enjoyed on campus by students and the AMS. The Assembly did not appoint an Honorary President for the Society nor did it grant any Honorary Life Memberships in the Society.
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Alma Mater Society
AMS Assembly (contd)

The AMS Assembly is comprised of the members listed below. Note that not all Assembly members have a vote on motions. Those who do not have voting privileges are marked by an asterisk.
Alma Mater Society President VP (Operations) VP (University Affairs) Academic Affairs Commissioner* Campus Activities Commissioner* Commissioner of Internal Affairs* Municipal Affairs Commissioner* Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainability* Social Issues Commissioner* Hospitality & Safety Services Director* Retail Services Director* Media Services Director* Nursing Science Society President Vice-President Engineering Society President VP (Student Development) 4 Elected Representatives
Commerce Society President VP (External) VP (Internal) 2 Elected Representatives Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Society President Vice-President 8 Elected Representatives Aesculapian Society President 2 Elected Representatives
Computing Students Association
Physical & Health Education & Kinesiology Students Association President VP (Operations) VP (University Affairs) MBA Students Society President Vice-President Main Campus Residence Council President Vice- President Jean Royce Hall Council President Other Ex-Officios Undergraduate Student Trustee* Queens Rector* Student Senate Caucus Chair* Board of Directors Chair*
President Vice-President Concurrent Education Students Association President 3 Elected Representatives
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Board of Directors
The Alma Mater Society of Queens University Inc. Board of Directors is the body that has been entrusted to manage the affairs of the Corporation by its members. The following are three key roles that the Board fulfills: a strategic management role, a financial role, and a support role. The 2011-2012 fiscal year started off with the presentation and approval of corporate service goal plans and budget drafts. Throughout the year, using these documents as a base, the Board and its committees monitored the financial and strategic progress of each of the services. In addition to this, the Board approved a variety of capital expenditures deemed necessary for the long-term viability of AMS services, such as new flooring at Queens Pub and new tables for Common Ground. The Board also undertook a governance review during the year, which resulted in an extensive update of the Board of Directors Policy Manual, modernizing and streamlining many of the Boards practices and procedures. This year was also the first that the AMS had operational control of the Student Life Centre, creating a whole new dimension of corporate oversight and adding over one million dollars to the AMS overall operations budget. This first year was very successful, and the Board of Directors looks forward to maintaining a good relationship with the SLC management partners, Queens University and the SGPS. The audited financial statements contained within this report illustrate the positive financial foundation that has been established through the Board of Directors diligent management work and collaboration. It is the Boards intention to see that this prudent financial management continues well into the future. In 2012-2013, there will be a heavy emphasis on revising the corporate strategic plan and conducting a thorough remuneration review of the entire organization. The Board will continue to monitor the progress of the Corporation, keeping long-term objectives in mind. We will strive to continue making our decisions to best reflect the core values of the AMS as an institution to serve students interests.
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Alma Mater Society
Student Life Centre

The Student Life Centre (SLC) buildings provide a home for the Queens student community, and provide and support the campus focus for the student-directed social, cultural, entertainment and recreational activities, and broader learning and development out-of-classroom experiences. The Student Life Centre is comprised of the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), the Queens Centre, 51 Bader Lane (the Grey House), and Macgillivray-Brown Hall. Collectively, these buildings provide tens of thousands of square metres of assignable space and facilities for student community governance and operations and constitute the principal location for the essential programs and services offered by students for students, including: faculty societies, student clubs and organizations; greater Queens and Kingston community programs, a wide range of entertainment and retail products and services; and various student-focused student organizations and University administrative offices. The AMS governs, manages and operates these facilities directly or in partnership with the University and/or with the Society of Graduate and Professional Students. In 2011 - 2012, the Student Life Centre facility operations had a budget of $1,431,000 of which the most significant portion was the AMS 50.8% contribution. SLC facility initiatives in 2011-2012 focused primarily on upgrading and renovating the JDUC, as well as MacgillivrayBrown Hall for increased student activity use and initiating a relationship with Athletics & Recreation for a renovation of the gymnasium level. On May 1 2011, the Management and Operations Agreement came into effect, transferring management control of the Student Life Centre buildings to the AMS. This success came after years of lengthy negotiations centred on the proposal that AMS management of student life space would yield the best programming and economic results. In 2011-2012, the Student Life Centre operated as an AMS service (rather than under the Department of Student Affairs). Some related changes in this structure include: the addition of two Student Life Assistant Manager (SLAM) positions, specializing in Administration and Operations. There is also a Reservations Coordinator, who is responsible for managing the reservation requests for all bookable spaces in the Student Life Centre buildings.
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AMS Executive
The three-person AMS Executive is comprised of the President, the Vice-President Operations, and the Vice-President University Affairs. Together, they are elected in the winter term and are responsible for representing the interests of all AMS members and for the day-to-day management of the Society.
The 2011-12 Executive, President Morgan Campbell, VPOPs Ashley Eagan and VPUA Kieran Slobodin focused their attention on a wide variety of projects, overseeing a year of excellence in student advocacy and government activity, and the reinvestment of capital in AMS services and programming to enhance both their current and long term capacity to better serve students. As the 2011-12 Executive took office they faced three critical initiatives relating to student life space on campus. The first of these centred on responding to a March Board of Trustees motion which had established a deadline for determining what should constitute the final student contribution to the capital costs of the Queens Centre in light of the Universitys acknowledged inability to fund Phases 2 and 3 of the project. The Executive authored a detailed report, accompanied by a timeline of the projects history, which recommended that insofar as only one third of the original project vision was delivered, that the student contribution should be capped at one third of the originally approved $25.5 million contribution. This constituted a contribution significantly less than the Board sought from students, but after negotiations the Board aquised. In agreeing to a contribution slightly more than one third, the Executive first secured the condition that $1.2 million of the last year of student funding would be committed by the University to improving student life space in the JDUC. This agreement was enthusiastically and unanimously approved by the AMS Assembly in the winter term. Simultaneously, the Executive had successfully delivered two commercial tenants to the new student life centre. After months of detailed planning and negotiations with the University, the City of Kingston and commercial retailers, the Executive overcame numerous obstacles to fill previously unused commercial space in the Queens Centre with the very first campus grocery store. Grocery Checkout 20 opened its doors on February 14, 2012, offering an exceptionally diverse range of competitively priced packaged and fresh products. The store received an immediate and overwhelmingly positive response from students and has been consistently busy. Roughly a month after the grocery store opened, Drug Smart Pharmacy opened in the Queens Centre, occupying yet another unfilled commercial space. Finally, on the student life front, the Executive entered into a partnership with Queens Athletics and Recreation to undertake significant renovations to MacGillivray Brown Hall, an underutilized building located on Barrie Street that is part of the student life space under AMS management. These renovations were concluded in late fall and now provide important recreation space for A & R with whom the AMS will be signing a contract making the space available for intramurals. In light of this highly successful undertaking and its significant improvement of the student recreation experience, it is likely that the AMS and A & R will jointly invest in future renovations. Internally, the Executive introduced a number of changes and controls to improve financial oversight and to facilitate a more transparent budgeting process for commissions and offices. Through the summer months, a comprehensive review of the AMS constitution and policy manuals was conducted which led to the approval of a large number of amendments and updates to these critically important documents. The Executive partnered with the Queens University Information Security Office to conduct a full review of AMS IT security policy and the physical security of IT assets. The AMS website was completely revamped, and although this was not the first time it had undergone a significant redesign over the past decade, indications were that students found the new site far easier to navigate and were successfully access-
Alma Mater Society
AMS Executive
ing its regular updates and relevant content. These latter initiatives were made possible by the Executives revitalization of the Communications Office and the emergence of the Marketing Office. The Executive enabled both of these offices to come to play central roles in support of virtually all AMS government and services undertakings. Two other accomplishments are noteworthy. Negotiations were successfully concluded with Queens Athletics and the AMS Health Plan provider, Student Care Network, to expand AMS Health Plan coverage to include athletic therapy. In response to the lack of clarity surrounding the process for the election and/or removal of the student holding the position of Rector, completely new policy was written in this area that had to be coordinated with the Society of Graduate and Professional Students. Late in the fall term, the Executive addressed a highly controversial issue surrounding the reveal that the Queens Bands pamphlets and official Songbook contained some very offensive content. The Executive undertook extensive consultation with the Dean of Student Affairs Office, the Office of Advancement, and Queens Athletics, resulting in the imposition of a number of sanctions on the Bands that included a temporary suspension of their activities which extended to the Bands annual participation in the John Orr Dinner and Toronto Santa Claus Parade. The issue was resolved positively when the Bands recognized the need for change and were fully reinstated in January, having satisfied all sanctions and conditions. The Executive concluded the year by writing an oped that appeared in the last issue of The Journal. This widely read piece consisted of a very candid assessment of what they depicted as an erosion of respect for student leadership by the Universitys senior administration and the increasing exclusion of students from meaningful participation in governance and on critical issues affecting them. Referencing dramatic changes to campus alcohol policy and non-academic discipline that had been unilaterally proposed by the University, the Executive identified what it believed was the current administrations apparent adoption of the philosophy of acting in loco parentis, in the place of a parent, an approach historically rejected by Queens, wherein Queens would now become far more hands-on in students lives. Describing an administration that has become excessively risk averse and out of touch with the longstanding Queens tradition of affording its students genuine responsibility in many critical areas of student life, the Executive delivered a compelling cautionary note about the challenges that lie ahead for the AMS as it seeks to retain the collegiality, trust and mutual respect that have traditionally defined its relationships with the University administration.
ensuring the fulfilment of the Societys mandate and mission. The President also acts as the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation and thus has a fiduciary responsibility to oversee the governance of the Society and its annual budget. The 2011-2012 President also directly oversaw the Communications Officer.
The President is responsible for the external representation of the Society and is ultimately accountable for
the Society. The VP (Operations) oversees the three directors who in turn supervise the retail, hospitality, safety, and media services of the AMS. Additionally, the VP (Operations) administers and facilitates student activity fees, the AMS Health & Dental Plan, the Bus-It program, and the consolidated budget for the Society.
The Vice-President of Operations is responsible for all day-to-day operational and financial matters of
The Vice-President of University Affairs is responsible for all political and educational matters of the
society, research and policy development, internal academic issues, and university administration affairs. The VP University Affairs oversees the commissions and serves as one of two AMS representatives (along with the Academic Affairs Commissioner) on the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Steering Committee. Annual Report 2011-2012 21
COMMISSIONS
24 25 26 27 28
Academic Affairs Campus Activities Internal Affairs Municipal Affairs Social Issues
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Academic Affairs Commission

The Academic Affairs Commission was created in 1991 when its functions were separated from the Education Commission which was renamed the Social Issues Commission in 1996. The Academic Affairs Commission is responsible for educating students on relevant post-secondary issues, advocating on behalf of students both internally and externally, and facilitating student needs through our various committees, coordinators, and services. The Academic Affairs Commission faced a number of challenges in 2011-12 during which many academic changes approved by Queens in past years, were implemented. SOLUS, the new student administrative system, went through the first round of registration over the summer of 2011. Unfortunately, communication about SOLUS was inadequate and many students struggled in adjusting to the new system. At the peak of course registration, the threat of a faculty strike in the fall emerged. The Commission encouraged the AMS to remain neutral during a heated and public dialogue between the administration and QUFA, advocating that both parties keep students best interests in mind and seek a quick resolution.This was also the first year that the tuition deadline change was implemented, requiring students to pay tuition in full by September 1st, instead of September 30th. Students were unable to validate their student cards if they had not paid their tuition in full, leading to concerns that students may be unable to access libraries, cafeterias, or the ARC. Regular communication with the Registrar was critical throughout these challenges. The GPA system was implemented on May 1, 2011, as was the practice of noting courses dropped after Open Enrollment on students transcripts with the notation of DR. The Commission was able to successfully reverse the latter policy with united support from student Senators, AMS Assembly, and faculty societies, which led to SCAP and Senate passing policy to retroactively remove DR notations from students transcripts. The GPA system, however, proved to be more challenging. Students concerns increased as the year continued, with frustration peaking in February and March of 2012 24 as students who were applying to graduate school, jobs, or external funding felt disadvantaged by the GPA system. The academic year ended with the Provost promising to continue to investigate how to address students concerns while maintaining best practices and standards. Several institution-wide planning processes were completed during the 2011-2012 year. The Strategic Research Plan process took much of the year, but the final draft incorporated sections of an AMS submission to the Plan, recognizing and prioritizing the value of undergraduate research opportunities. The Teaching Awards Committee switched to online nomination forms and received an unprecedented number of nominations almost 100 in the fall semester alone. The Frank Knox Award was given to Leo Jonker and Alan Ableson. The Christopher Knapper Award was given to Christian Rojas and MaryAnne Laurico. At OUSAs Partners in Higher Education Dinner in April 2012, the AMS recognized Dr. Eleanor MacDonald with the OUSA Excellence in Teaching Award for her contributions to the quality of undergraduate education. Following the constitutional change regarding external membership approval, the Assembly-appointed Special Committee on External Affiliation was to meet frequently to discuss the OUSA-AMS partnership. Unfortunately, the committee did not meet frequently and failed to submit a report. In response to the provincial election scheduled for October 6, 2011, the Commission launched a large-scale awareness campaign under the banner VOTE: Its a Big F#@%in Deal! to encourage students to get engaged and to vote. The AMS hosted an on-campus debate with candidates from the four main political parties and organized three days of advance polls in the JDUC. The campaign was met with positive response from students, staff, faculty, and community members alike. The new Ontario government launched the Ontario Tuition Grant in January 2012 as a result of OUSA lobbying.
Alma Mater Society
Campus Activities Commission

The CAC had a positive year in 2011/2012, highlighted by the introduction of many improvements to past practices. The CACs biggest achievement was the review and improvement of its financial activities. The Commissioner took the budget template created by the VPUA and tailored it to the needs of the CAC committees. This allowed for detailed tracking of expenses and revenues, and consistent record keeping between committees. Financial training and a written guide to the Commissions financial processes were provided to volunteers. Although some committees still ran deficits (often due to receiving less sponsorship than anticipated), a culture of financial accountability was established throughout the Commission with sound templates in place for the future. This is a significant achievement for a Commission that has faced perennial criticism for making inefficient or unnecessary use of student dollars. Other internal achievements included the enhancement and clarification of the three Deputy positions, and operational changes in certain events. The Deputies were given greater autonomy and responsibility for the decisions and spending of the committees they oversaw, resulting in more fulfilling volunteer experiences and a decreased demand on the Commissioner. Secondly, changes to many CAC events enhanced their quality. Charity Ball rebranded its Genie Auction fundraiser into Clarktion (a live auction that raised over $3000, held at Clark Hall), and Queens Model United Nations created a website that allowed delegates to engage with the conference online in real time. The University District Hockey League was also established as an event hosted by the CAC. The Orientation Round Table (ORT) enjoyed a strong year as well. Its largest accomplishment was bringing the Orientation Concert back to campus, which increased safety, reduced costs, and facilitated community building. Overall, the CACs events ran operationally smoothly and its volunteers had positive experiences. In addition to building internal strength, the CAC had several external goals for 2011/2012. These included: establishing a Passport to Athletics program with Athletics & Recreation, forming a network of community partners that provide programming aimed at students, enhancing outreach to student groups planning events, and reform of the Senate Orientation Activities Review Board (SOARB) to be more representative of students. These goals were not met for a variety of reasons. In some cases, external factors created limitations (for example, Athletics and Recreation decided against the Passport to Athletics program due to concerns over competition for sponsorship). The internal events also demanded more attention than anticipated, leaving less time for external projects. Overall, the CAC developed sound internal processes that will allow it to grow both internally and externally in future years.
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Commission of Internal Affairs

The Commission of Internal Affairs (CIA) oversees matters relating to the internal operations of the AMS Assembly, the student-run undergraduate discipline system, elections and referenda, and the administration of over 200 clubs and extracurricular organizations. The Judicial Affairs Office performed very well, handling just over 80 cases. In an effort to address the role of alcohol in student violations of the Code of Conduct, new sanctions were made available through the provision of alcohol workshops. A major focus for the entire year lay in crafting a response to the Universitys review of non-academic discipline. Strongly supported by the AMS Executive, the Commissioner and the Judicial Affairs Director attended a large number of meetings with senior Queens administrators on this issue, standing steadfast on their insistence on the retention of a genuine peer-based system. Towards the end of year a comprehensive report delineating the AMS position was submitted to the University. In response to the efforts to impeach the Rector in 2010-11 and the emergent lack of clarity in Queens University Council guidelines in terms of how to implement an impeachment, it became necessary for the Commissioner to work with the VPUA to completely overhaul existing policies regarding both the election and removal of the Rector. This effort was necessarily coordinated with the SGPS and was successfully concluded in the fall term. The Commissioner also participated in a thorough AMS policy and document review that culminated in the approval of a large number of amendments by the Assembly. The Clubs portfolio enjoyed another productive year delivering a range of resource based services for the growing number of campus clubs which by years end totalled roughly 250. The flagship Clubs Night events were returned to the JDUC and were well attended. This was the third year of the salaried Clubs Manager working out of the CIA Office and this arrangement continued to prove effective. The AMS Elections Team functioned well in both the fall and winter terms. In addition to the large number of student fee questions appearing on both referenda, the fall term saw the Elections Team very effectively presiding over a six-candidate Rector election. The winter term brought a threeteam campaign in the AMS Executive election and a highly contentious NO campaign launched against the OPIRG fee facing its triennial review. The latter resulted in a one-sided vote against the OPIRG fee which led to an appeal by OPIRG to the AMS Judicial Committee. Ultimately, the Committee produced a thoughtful and lengthy ruling that rejected the appeal.
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Municipal Affairs Commission
The Municipal Affairs Commission (MAC) is, in terms of the number of volunteers, the largest of the 6 AMS Commissions. For 18 years, The MAC has continued to lobby the City of Kingston and the university administration for improvements in the quality of life for students in the University District. Moreover, the Commission has also been playing a key role in Town-Gown relations as it is the primary student representative for Queens students in the City of Kingston. The Commissions operating statement for this year was To incorporate an action/student service oriented approach into the existing lobbying base of the Municipal Affairs Commission. Consequently, the MAC took on a different approach to the issues surrounding Town-Gown relations than it had in previous years; rather than only lobbying important stakeholders, the MAC attempted to directly affect the issues which chronically affect the strength of the relationship between the City, the University, and the students. The MAC saw many highlights in 2011-12. The Let Me Come Home video and the non-existent Aberdeen Street Party were considered a success, and a good start to the year. The rebranding of the Student Village to University District was approved by AMS Assembly and the MAC subsequently created the Student Maintenance and Resource Team (SMART) to help maintain the community. The success of the committees under the Information and Advocacy Portfolio (SPADE, United Way, Breakfast Club) was notable, as was the creation and use by students of an Interactive Housing Map. Additionally, the MAC succeeded in the creation of the University District Hockey League (UDHL), the Summer House Check program, the strengthening of the Golden Key Award for good landlords and the elimination of the Golden Cockroach Award for bad landlords. Overall there was a discernible increase in the awareness and visibility of the MAC in local media. The failure to facilitate the installation of adequate University District signage was one of the very few unsuccessful initiatives for the MAC. The MAC increased its budget from $68,000 (2010-2011) to $77,000. The notable increases within the budget include the introduction of the Volunteer Opportunities Facilitator and the associated $1000 honorarium; the introduction of the SMART Coordinator and the associated $1000 honorarium; and a $3,250 increase in the commissions advertising budget. It is anticipated that next year the MAC budget will increase significantly to account for Summer House Check and SMARTs full time head manager, staff, and operating expenses. Annual Report 2011-2012 27
Social Issues Commission

The AMS Social Issues Commission, a part of the Education Commission until 1996, was created in 1969. The mandate of the SIC is to work with issues of equity and oppression at Queens, through awareness, education and resources, while providing safe spaces for our students. The SIC enjoyed success in several areas. The completion of the Gender Neutral Bathroom Audit over the summer led to several bathrooms being switched to gender neutral facilities by the university. Anti-oppression sessions throughout the year were tailored to each group in attendance leading to an elevated amount of positive feedback and student engagement. The committees all successfully held events, most of which were well attended and well received. Finally, the SIC worked with other commissions on projects, including the Alternate Payment Arrangement with the Academic Affairs Commissioner. The Peer Support Centre had a successful year. There was a great increase in visitors, with over 300 by the end of the year, up from around 100 total visits from 2010-11. The PSC had a very successful marketing campaign throughout the year. The Food Centre also saw many students utilize its resources. Both of these government side services stayed close to their budget assisted their bringing in many donations in order to supplement their costs. Financially, most of the committees came in under budget. Many committees had various aspects of their events donated or supplied by members, which left them with a surplus. One of the greatest improvements this year was by far the publications, which in past years have been anywhere for 1,000 to upwards of 3,000 over budget. All publications were given a strict budget of either $5000 or $4000 and many of them came in under budget, with none of them going over. The Commission also allocated Equity Grants this year to several groups that demonstrated a genuine commitment to equity and displayed a financial need to complete a specific project. The Ontario Public Interest Research Group received $1500, Women In Science and Engineering received $500, and the Queens Coalition Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination received $750. Regrettably the Commission received no nominations for potential recipients of the Robert Sutherland Award or the AMS Anti-Oppression Award.
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Commission of the Environment and Sustainability

The Commission of the Environment and Sustainability(CES) works to create a culture of sustainability and environmental consciousness, both at Queens and within the AMS. The commission achieves these goals through raising awareness, internal and external lobbying, and offering opportunities for students to get involved with sustainability initiatives. Newly created in 2011-12, the CES evolved from the Sustainability Office, which was created in 2006 to address a growing concern over the environment. The transition to a commission reflects the growing importance attached to environmental concerns and the expansion of AMS service and programming in this critically important area. The CES faced many challenges in its first year beginning with the creation of a recognizable brand a commission largely unknown to students. The Sustainability Assessment Team struggled throughout the entire year due largely to a lack of volunteers. The Bike Shop took longer than expected to become operational, but became singularly popular and successful it did open in early March. There were a number of encouraging developments. Greenovations was successful, retrofitting more houses than ever before and exchanging hundreds of light bulbs. STRIVE hosted its second annual conference on water and it was very well attended. Youth Mentoring Youth was introduced as a new initiative and it quickly established its value by facilitating four classes totaling over 100 elementary school students receiving valuable instruction. Lastly, the backyard garden project oversaw the successful installation of three gardens. There were significant changes made to the CES budget including a substantial increase from $55,000 to $93,000. A large portion of this was attributable to the rollover of unexpended Sustainability Action Fund student fee revenue from 2010/2011. The CES oversees the Sustainability Action Fund, a $2 opt-outable fee that amounted to approximately $20,000 and is used to fund student based sustainability projects on campus. The Fund looks to support projects that have an environmental goal and include an aspect of community involvement or education. In 2010-11, only $6,000 of the grant was distributed. This year, the CES gave out over $18,000. These grants funded the Queens Solar Design Team, a move out project, a QIDC conference, the Food Centre, a biology final project, Queens Fuel Cell Team and a company called Carbon Savings. The allocation from AMS Assembly increased from $32,000 to $46,000. In terms of other increases, the salary of the commissioner saw an increase from the previous officer salary, and marketing and volunteer appreciation line items were also increased to meet the needs of the growing commission. Youth Mentoring Youth and the Bike Shop were also new additions with the majority of the latters expenses funded through a previous AMS Board of Directors allocation. The CES also received a $2,000 grant from Coca-Cola to help fund the community gardens. Overall, the CES delivered a high level of both financial responsibility and promising new programming in its first year of operations.
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OFFICES
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Communications Human Resources Information Technology Marketing Student Centre Sustainabiliy
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Communications Office
The Communications Office (CO) is responsible for facilitating communications between the AMS and its undergraduate constituency, the broader campus and municipal communities, and governments. Strategies in support of this mandate have been subject to considerable change over the last decade as the Office itself changed structurally and profound changes in media technology have occurred. The Marketing Office, created in 2010-11 to relieve the Communications Officer of the market research and branding portfolios, as well as some marketing/advertising responsibilities, enjoyed its first full-time twelve-month term. The impact, productivity and accessibility of both offices dramatically improved and this was duly noted by students and university staff. The priority of the CO was to work with the Information Technology Officer, Marketing Officer and VPUA to create a new website. A new myAMS.org launched in early August 2011 and received immediate tremendous feedback. Important new features included a much more intuitive organization of information, the creation of a Campus News section, a campus calendar, a Contact Us form, and an eye-catching rotator for advertising events and news on the front page. The Contact Us form proved to be a singularly effective tool for collecting feedback, facilitating response to urgent questions, and centrally tracking student concerns, thereby providing better and more expedient service to student needs. The Campus News section facilitated a significant increase in the issuance of AMS press releases to an average one per week. The innovative new Blogs portion of the Campus News section allowed AMS staff a chance to connect with students on important issues , where previously this was achieved in person or through much less accessible social media profiles. Improved analytics allowed the CO to track successful content and learn how to improve communications from the AMS. From the time of the website launch through the end April 2012, the new site received over 800,000 views. The CO consistently focussed on two broad themes: increasing knowledge of AMS resources and opportunities to increase AMS accessibility; and increasing dissemination of information on important decisions/processes to increase AMS transparency. The first was achieved through more frequent and effective use of social media, the website, targeted posters, the bi-weekly AMS Bulletin in the Journal and Golden Words, and increasing boothing and other outreach opportunities. Using Facebook, Twitter and Youtube generated many new followers. The AMS also expanded its presence on social media by creating a Flickr account. The second goal was achieved through publishing the Annual Report, an essential financial accountability document that had not been printed for the previous three years and through advertising decisionmaking events - AMS Assembly/ University Senate/ Board of Trustees/AMS Board of Directors - and that decisions arising from those events were clearly communicated via a combination of live-tweets, press releases and blogs. Although the coming year begins with a sound foundation, it will nevertheless be critical for the CO to continue to evaluate new initiatives and introduce changes where necessary. Significant steps were taken this year to better define the role of the Marketing and Communications Offices through the creation and editing of several policies (notably Visual Identity Standards) but efforts must continue to ensure that AMS policy remains current and embraces rapidly changing communication and media technologies.
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Marketing Office
The Marketing Office serves as a resource for the Commissions and Services within the AMS. Its role is to assist in the creation of promotional material and advertising campaigns while conducting market research and ensuring the primacy and consistency of the AMS visual identity standards. The office was created in the year previous to assist in the mandate of the AMS Executive to increase the efficiency and proficiency of communication between the AMS government and services, and the students of Queens University. Towards this end, the Marketing Office grew quickly in this past year, growing into its responsibilities and developing new areas of interest and attention. The Marketing Office serves, in part, to reduce the quantity of responsibilities that were once under the purview of the Communications Office. The sheer complexity and number of duties which once fell under Communications meant that a significant portion of them were neglected from year to year. Further responsibilities were added to the position, creating a distinct entity that deals with critical operations in the AMS. Some of the responsibilities entrusted to the Marketing Office include the undertaking of comprehensive market research initiatives, the direction and organization of marketing caucus, the development of the AMS visual identity, the design and procurement of new promotional materials, and the protection of the integrity of the AMS visual theme. The Marketing Office also serves as a consultative resource for any and all AMS subsidiary
groups, enabling even smaller organizations within the AMS to tailor effective and efficient marketing and outreach campaigns. The 2011-2012 academic year saw a significant amount of growth in the operations of the Marketing Office. The office has grown greatly from its origins in 2010/2011, and has effectively fulfilled its mandate over the past 12 months. The redesign and restructuring of the AMS brand visual representation was a key component to this years efforts, and by all accounts, has been an effective and worthwhile use of time and resources. The AMS has dramatically increased its ability to communicate, as well as its professional visual presentation. The Marketing Office has also expanded on its mandate to conduct market research initiatives, thereby facilitating communication between the AMS and its constituent members. Many surveys were designed, conducted and subsequently analysed, to the benefit of the AMS and many of its subsidiaries including the MHAC, the AMS corporate services, and the AMS brand. The Marketing Office was also a key player in many wide-reaching awareness, informational and marketing campaigns, including the Ontario Provincial Election GOTV campaign, the AMS Food Centre campaign, the launch of the two new retailers in the Queens Centre (DrugSmart Pharmacy and GroceryCheckout), and the AMS elections and referenda. The Marketing Office will continue to grow off of this years successes, and will emphasize the offices role in the marketing of the AMS services. 33
Information Technology Office

The Information Technology Office (ITO) works to support the IT infrastructure, consisting of both equipment and services, on which virtually all aspects of AMS activity are dependent. The creation and launch of a new AMS website was one of the years major projects and entailed the ITO supporting the development efforts of Envision Online, an external company contracted to create the new site. The response from students to the new site was overwhelmingly positive and this was supported by a report was released by the AMS Marketing Office. Efforts will continue to enhance the websites capacity to allow AMS services to sell or distribute products online. Another significant development was the establishment of a new audio and visual rental service operated through the ITO. Although there remain some internal administrative matters to smooth out, initial indications have been very positive with revenue in excess of $6500 having been generated by the end of the year. The ITO also enjoyed great success in its collaboration with the Municipal Affairs Commission in creating an interactive online housing map. This project has been well received by students and will require ongoing maintenance and support from the ITO although the basic data will be generated by the MAC. New workstations were purchased this year and a number of older workstations were formatted in order to eliminate all of the Windows XP computers. To enhance security it was decided to move virtually all workstations to the Windows 7 operating system. The success of this project has been limited with not all new stations fully deployed as other IT priorities arose. Though the course of the year it became apparent that existing policy covering IT considerations had become largely obsolete. In a significant development, a new and comprehensive policy was written and approved at year end by the Board of Directors. One important policy area related to security issues and in particular the treatment of confidential information. Queens University IT lent valuable assistance to this process. Efforts in this area are likely to continue in the coming year. A final initiative deserving mention is a service level agreement reached by ITO with the Engineering Society outlining the responsibilities of each side in terms of IT infrastructure and support. The ITO has continued to grow in recent years in terms of both employees and the range of services and support it offers. Capacity strains and security considerations in this essential area of AMS activity warrant careful exploration of the best options to meet growing needs. Agreements with Queens IT, contracting out some services and an optimal personnel structure are all expected to be reviewed in the coming year.
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Human Resources Office

The Human Resources Office serves as a support for both the corporate and government branches of the AMS. In its eleven years of operation, this office has facilitated the recruitment, hiring, training, appreciation, development and record keeping for all salaried positions, wage positions, and volunteers. The Human Resources Office works closely with all AMS managers through HR Caucus to ensure that discipline, hiring, and appreciation practices across the services are universal and fair to all AMS employees. This Office also coordinates with the Communications and Marketing Offices to advertise AMS hiring deadlines, promote involvement and demonstrate public appreciation to the amazing staff and volunteers that are essential to the functioning of the AMS. In 2011-2012, the HR Office had the opportunity to develop a new Jobs and Volunteering section of the AMS website. Incorporated into this was the Opportunities Database created as a tool for applicants in the previous year. The idea of online applications was explored further and set up during Spring transition as a project to be implemented during the 2012-2013 school year. Recruitment methods including structured boothing and rebranded materials such as pamphlets, banner bugs and an AMS video were utilised for pan AMS recruitment. The creation of the first salaried position under the Human Resources Officer was approved in the winter term. This position, the Opportunities and Outreach Coordinator, will begin in 2012-13 and is expected to allow for a continuous focus on recruitment throughout the year. This position will also serve to alleviate the strain on the HR office during hiring season. The HR Office continued to develop a complete record of job descriptions for all AMS positions as a separate document to applications. It also flushed out the process of transition for full-time staff during 2011-2012, defining very specific timelines and requirements for submitted manuals and implementing the exit interview for the first time. Work on the yearly database of all AMS employees and volunteers continued and a strong compilation of statistics records on service and volunteer position applicants was undertaken. Additionally, the progressive discipline system as it relates to the service/office demerit system was examined and adjusted to more effectively allow these processes to assist part-time employees in the future. Volunteer of the Year Awards were given as follows; Academic Affairs Commission- Laura Skellet and Clayton Lee (External Advocacy Coordinators), Commission of Internal Affairs- Thompson Hamilton (Judicial Committee Chair), Commission of the Environment & Sustainability- Chuk Odenigbo and Erin Blanchard (Greenovations Chairs), Campus Activities Commission- Tyvon Greene (Sports Deputy & ORT Director), Municipal Affairs Commission- Courtney Wilson (Breakfast Club Chair), Social Issues Commission- Evette Yassa (Peer Support Centre Marketing & Outreach Coordinator), Queens TV- Liza Couse, Yearbook & Design Services- Corey Lablans, Volunteer of the Year Camaraderie- Troy Sherman (MAC Information & Advocacy Deputy), Volunteer of the Year Community- Asad Chishti (YDS Photographer), Volunteer of the Year Involvement- Megan Stanley (CAC Politics Deputy). Looking to 2012-2013, a primary focus of the Human Resources Office will be to implement online applications for the Fall 2012 hiring season in association with the IT Office. Other areas of attention will lie in seeking consistency across AMS services and offices and the development of standardized policy on honoraria and performance evaluations.
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Student Centre Office

The Student Centre Officer (SCO) duties are primarily centred on supporting the activities of the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), MacGillivrayBrown Hall, 51 Bader Lane (the Grey House), and the Queens Centre. These buildings encompass a variety of services and spaces open to all members of the Queens and the larger Kingston communities. These spaces serve as venues for student events, faculty meeting spaces, and offices for campus groups. The SCOs job is to ensure the vibrant, effective use of the various Student Life Centre buildings. This was a watershed year for the SCO insofar as it was the first year of implementation of the Management and Operations Agreement signed with the University and SGPS whereby the AMS assumed administrative control of the Student Life Centre. This led to the hiring of an additional new AMS permanent staff member, the Facilities Manager, and an expansion of the student staff all falling under the supervision of the SCO. The transition was very smooth and assisted by the addition in the winter term of two new commercial businesses - a grocery store and pharmacy - in the Queens Centre. A major challenge arose during the fall term when issues arose surrounding areas defined as Shared Space , defined as space allocated for the shared use of the AMS and SGPS. Efforts were begun to establish a mechanism whereby disagreements regarding the administration of this space might be resolved. The Student Centre Office directed its attention to the programming and exposure of MacGillivrayBrown Hall, and increasing traffic and programming in the JDUC and Queens Centre. Although MacGillivray-Brown Hall continued to pose challenges due to its location and common perception, the nature of its utilization improved dramatically. The priorities for 2011-2012 included improvements to club space, specifically upgrades to MacGillivray-Brown Hall, while ensuring that these investments are not unduly limiting of potential future use of space. Additionally, programming in the JDUC, Queens Centre, MacGillivray-Brown Hall have been heavily centred on student initiatives providing clubs and AMS member societies the opportunity to gain as much exposure as possible. The Queens Centre has been, and will continue to be developed to more fully and accurately reflect the diverse communities at Queens, while simultaneously raising the aesthetic of the building.
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SERVICES
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Retail Hospitality Safety Media
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Retail Services
Publishing & Copy Centre
2011/2012 was dedicated to improving customer service and reducing waste at the Publishing & Copy Centre. Over the last 24 years the P&CC has grown from a small-scale copy centre into the production facility that it is today, constantly expanding and improving on the services that it offers to the Queens community. This year the P&CC made strategic investments that allowed it to overhaul the way in which it does cutting and business cards, enabling the service to offer lower prices and faster turnaround times. In September, wide-format poster prices were cut in half, making them more accessible to students. This has led to a nearly 400% increase in the number of wide-format posters sold. Financially, the P&CC has had a very successful year with a strong financial showing. Increases in course pack sales, black and white and colour printing, and wide-format sales demonstrate the services importance to the Queens community and the value it provides to students, staff, and faculty. Looking to the future, the Publishing & Copy Centre will be undergoing a major overhaul this summer to keep up with demand and trends observed over the last 5 years. Renovations will occur in early May and will include a new counter and expanded backshop area, a fresh coat of paint, and new, accessible doors. The introduction of a new colour printer will enable the P&CC to cut colour prices next year as well, something that both staff and customers are very excited for. The P&CC always has and will continue to strive to provide excellent services at competitive prices for students at Queens University and the Kingston Community.
Tricolour Outlet
Tricolour Outlet was formed at the end of 2009-2010 from the amalgamation of the AMS Merchandise Services (TAMS, operating the Used Bookstore and Tricolour Outfitters) and Destinations. In its first year of operations, Tricolour Outlet succeeded in reducing its operating costs by 19% through streamlining of the staff and management teams and reductions in allocated expenses. Many great strides have been made in this fiscal year to improve the financial situation of Tricolour Outlet, its overall brand recognition and place within the Queens Community. This years focus was increased recognition from Queens students. Tricolour Outlet exceeded expectations by becoming the number one AMS recognized brand on campus as part of a Marketing Office poll. This strong brand identity and recognition helped Tricolour Outlet increase its visibility on campus, furthering its importance to the Queens student body. Another important focus for this years management team was the Tricolour Express. Since 2009, Tricolour Express ticket sales have been on a downward trend, with a 35% decline last year. Halting this decline and reversing this trend was an important challenge for the service. In 2010/2011, the Tricolour Express saw an increase in revenue of 5%, demonstrating the importance students place on this service. This increase can be largely attributed to an extensive marketing campaign. Consignment sales were successful but not on par with previous years. This can be partly attributed to the influx of new editions of textbooks, which made the used editions in the store obsolete. Procedures to reclaim expired consignments and payouts were revived, leading to a substantial cost savings. Overall, Tricolour Outlet has had a successful year, and the service will continue to emphasize its prominence in the Queens Community.
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Hospitality Services
Common Ground Coffeehouse
Common Ground Coffeehouse was created in 2000 to serve the Queens student body by providing students with consistent products of high quality at reasonable prices. Unlike other on-campus food service providers, Common Ground offers a unique experience to all customers in that it is students serving students. The 2011-2012 Common Ground staff built upon the success of the previous year, seeking improvements to the overall efficiency and consistency. The management team strived to create a more comprehensive training week for the staff in August. Additionally, a focus was placed on premade sandwich sales and the marketing of CoGro Express as a viable alternative to Common Ground. CoGro Express sales continued to increase, bouyed by the addition of premade sandwiches to the menu. This year, the facilities portfolio had the large challenge of dealing with nearly bi-weekly equipment failure. As a result, repairs and maintenance charges were over budget. Common Grounds marketing has become standardized. The creation of visual identity standards will help further the CoGro brand. Common Ground implemented a back of house composting system that hopefully be expanded in future years. Common Ground had increases in overall revenue and a general decrease in the services operating deficit.
The AMS Pub Services

The AMS Pub Services (TAPS) provides a safe environment on campus for all students to experience quality service, affordable prices, and the spirit of Queens tradition. The service is comprised of two establishmentsAlfies Nightclub and the Queens Pub. Financially, TAPS experienced a successful year. At the Queens Pub, the construction of the new front section has tremendously increased sales. The expansion of the front section added ten more tables and approximately 40 more seats for patrons during the lunch and dinner rushes. The staff were trained efficiently to ensure they could accommodate the new patronage. Record sales for food have been broken and sales overall have increased each month. At Alfies, sales have been a bit more challenging. The Monday night event, The Lounge started off really well but declined in the second semester. Much of the Events Portfolio attention was placed on this event but high sales proved hard to achieve. In addition to Classic Rock, The Hoe- Down (country themed), and OldSchool Hip Hop were added to the Friday night rotation, contributing to increased sales. This year the TAPS Head Manager became a part of a new group on campus, The Campus Alcohol Working Group. Along with the services Director, the Head Manager had to attend monthly meetings in order to lobby for the well-being of the service. Many of the policies that were discussed by the group could potentially hinder the services business. This is still an ongoing issue and the incoming Head Manager will now sit on a sub-committee, concerned solely with licensed establishments on campus and how these polices can be best practiced and enforced. Overall, TAPS has had a successful year. The many challenges that the service faced were overcome and many successes were had.
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Safety Services
Queens Student Constables
The Queens Student Constables (QSC) have been an important support resource to students since 1936. QSC strives to provide high quality peer supervision and support that ensures a safe social environment for all Queens students, while upholding AMS and University regulations. Student Constables can be found working at The Queens Pub, Alfies, Clark Hall Pub, athletic events, orientation events, semi-formals, and many other events at Queens University. During the 2011-12 year the Queens Student Constables set out to improve their image, increase consistency among staff, and to be more accessible to students. The QSC Executive also actively worked to improve relationships with the other organizations they work with. For the first time in several years, the 2011-12 Queens Student Constables created a service marketing plan. This plan included monthly Journal ads, promotional activities during Orientation Week and coverage by different media outlets on campus to promote the service and to recruit new staff for the 2012-13 year. These advertising campaigns were well received by the Queens community. Overall, this years consistency and quality of service provided by QSC was an improvement over last year but there were still some discrepancies amongst how the Senior Constables managed their shifts and about different expectations that TAPS and Clark managers held of the Constables. Discrepancies between different MODs were usually resolved by discussions with the Head Managers of these services, clearly delineating their expectations of the service. Mandatory customer service training was a large part of the service this year. This drastically helped the image of QSC and made it more approachable to students. Improved customer service is an ongoing goal of QSC that will continue into future years.
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Walkhome
Walkhome was created in 1988, and has since grown to become the most used safe walk program in Canada, providing safe walks home to all students at Queens. Walkhome averages about 12,000 walks each year, a number that continued to grow during the 2011-2012 academic year. It employs 150 student staff members, and is the only safe walk service in Ontario that pays its staff members. Queens Walkhome is also the only safe walk program that is completely anonymous; something that it will continue to pride itself on. This year Walkhome saw increasing walk numbers, and increasing success in community outreach initiatives. Each year Walkhome organizes two Walk-a-thon events, whereby Walkhome donates $1 to a charitable organization within the Queens or the Kingston Community for each walk in an evening. At the first Walk-a-thon event in November, it had a record breaking 514 walks in one night, and donated over $2000 to Queens Cares; an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. In March, Walkhome held its second Walk-a-thon event and surpassed the first event with 523 walks. Additionally, one of Walkhomes biggest goals was financial responsibility. By closely examining the ways in which the service spends money and the ways in which it handles student dollars, the service was able to maximize its operational output while maintaining a fairly neutral budget output. One of the biggest accomplishments within the service this year was the change in management structure that will take effect in 2012-13. The addition of an Assistant Manager to the service will result in a smoother and more reliable operation, putting less stress on the service in peak periods. This position will also allow more time for marketing initiatives, raising Walkhomes profile in the Queens Community. Looking ahead to 2012-13 Walkhome will continue to endeavour for increased visibility on campus, increased level of service use, and a professional yet fun environment for the staff and patrons.
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Media Services
CFRC 101.9FM
CFRC 101.9FM is Kingston, Ontarios only campus-community radio station, broadcasting from Queens University since 1922. The station broadcasts 24/7 on 101.9FM and online at cfrc.ca, offering alternative news, diverse opinions, and underground music, along with debate on student issues that are not being covered by other media in Kingston. Almost all of CFRCs programming is produced by more than 150 active volunteers overseen and assisted by five paid staff. CFRC broadcasts Queens Gaels football, hockey and basketball games, as well as speeches given by honorary degree recipients and special guests at the Universitys convocation ceremonies. In the 1980s CFRC incorporated under its own non-profit entity Radio Queens University (RQU). 2003-2006 saw a transfer of operations of CFRC from Queens University to the Alma Mater Society. In 2011-12 the AMS and CFRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding CFRCs separation from the AMS by 2014, in order to comply with new CRTC regulations. 2011-2012 saw a lot of new Focus Programming delivered by the station, including Pride, Prisoners Justice Day, Black History Month, International Womens Day and Aboriginal Awareness Week. CFRC also delivered three original Radio Residencies featuring two Radio Dramas, two Radio Art Pieces and two Radio Documentaries. Other successes include strengthening our existing partnerships with local non-profits, music promoters and local businesses such as OPIRG Kingston, Flying V Productions, Sleepless Goat Cafe, Ale House, etc. CFRC also purchased a tent and a flag used for outreach events, helping raise our profile in the community. In addition we were finally able to use the data from a recent listenership survey for ad sales and grants. Financial successes in 2011-12 include greater advertising revenue. $3925 in Sports Sponsorship and $6845 in advertising were secured, with more revenue still to come this month. CFRC also received grants from the Community Radio Fund of Canada, City of Kingston Arts Fund, Job Creation Partnerships, OPIRG Kingston, Community Foundation for Kingston and Area and the Community Investment Fund. Financial challenges this year included running out of allotted budget for items such as printing, honoraria and marketing due to last minute successful grant applications and planning for the National Campus Community Radio Conference and 90th anniversary. Going forward, CFRC will work diligently to meet these challenges and to create a sustainable business model.
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Alma Mater Society
The Queens Journal

The Journals mandate is to provide news relevant to Queens University and to provide opportunities for students to learn the various skills of journalism. Throughout Volume 139, The Journal strived to achieve these goals. The Journal was formed in 1873. Starting from scratch, the Journal has gone from cutting and pasting on paper to PDFs, JPEGS, and online content. The Journal is proud to have many famous alumni doing great work in journalism and other fields. Many of Canadas great reporters, editors, and writers have worked at the Journal. Volume 139 was a successful volume. One of the major achievements includes the introduction of the Journals mobile app to the Apple and Android markets. This project had been in the works for a couple of years but was finally brought to the public. Since its inception, the Journal has seen over 500 app downloads and its first mobile-advertising revenue. The app is designed to bring the Journal to students fingertips, with the slogan Byte-sized Journal. In addition to the mobile app, the Journals proposed outdoor news display boxes were approved by Journal Board and the AMS Board of Directors. These boxes represent a new vision for the Journals distribution and will generate more visibility in both the University District and the rest of the Queens community. The Journal also recognizes the work of Gabe King, who has worked at the Journal for 28 years. While Gabe will be missed, the Journal is excited to welcome Genevieve Cairns as the Journals Administrative Assistant. In 2011-12 the Journal managed to increase national, local, and online revenue, introducing mobile app revenue as well. While Local revenue was not as stellar as last years, we believe that the new incoming team will form solid relationships with the community of Kingston and will be able to improve upon the 2011-12 year. The Journal ended the fiscal year with a $6,000 surplus, demonstrating that the Journals paper publication is still strong among advertisers. However, the growth of online revenue will continue to become more important in the future. Moving forward in 2012-2013, the Journal will continue to uphold the high standards of journalistic integrity that it has brought to the campus over the past 139 volumes. The Journal will continue to create innovative ways to reach both students and the greater Kingston community with information that is important to them.
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Media Services (contd)

Queens TV (QTV)
Queens TV is a student run television production service. With daily content at QueensTV.ca, a weekly television show on TVCogeco 13, and one of the most advanced live streaming university sports programs in Canada, QTV is leader among Canadian student television programs. The mandate of the service is to act as source of information and entertainment to the student audience, while also providing professional experience in all aspects of television production. While the service has existed since 1980, a restructuring in 2008 marked the start of a long process to make Queens TV a competitive and financially sustainable campus service. The focus of the 2011-2012 season was to shift our primary distribution model from being a weekly cable show to daily online content, all while finding a sustainable business model that would facilitate the much needed growth of the service. The 2011-2012 Season featured five weekly shows consistently airing on a different day of the week. With news, music, sports, interviews, and live sketch comedy shows, QTV hoped to offer something for everyone. Show Producers were given expanded autonomy to produce their own shows, and in general the calibre of content significantly improved over previous years. QTV attempted to expand its news coverage as much as possible under the current format, with the 2012 AMS Elections being a noticeable high-point. Unfortunately a lack of resources and a dedicated team made the expanded news coverage unrealistic on a weekly basis. In addition the service launched a major partnership with Queens Athletics and Recreation to offer live webcasts of Queens Gaels sporting events. This project culminated in the broadcast of the three day, eleven game broadcast of the Mens CIS Volleyball Championships. QTV produced the championship coverage and partnered with SSN, a national online network for university sports coverage, to facilitate distribution of the stream. The broadcast was a major success and received over 58,000 views over the course of the weekend. This year was also the first to feature a second salaried manager with the addition of a paid business manager. This new position was essential to the growth of QTVs VideoFactory paid production services division. With these new sources in revenue, QTVs operating budget was able to expand and facilitate new projects such as live streaming, with non-student fee revenue growing by more than 400%. For the first time in the services history, the majority of the QTVs revenue was not derived from student fees, which represented over 73% of the services 2010-11 budget while representing less than 45% of the 2011-12 budget. With lower than expected expenses, and the strength of VideoFactory, QTV finished the year significantly ahead of its anticipated budget, and had its lowest deficit since adding a salaried manager in 2008. This year has been a remarkable step forward for the service and its future is very bright. Financial growth is anticipated to continue as we renew existing partnerships and form new ones using the strong foundation of this year VideoFactory portfolio. The 2012-2013 season will see a massive expansion of our news coverage with the addition of a News Director and an additional news segment producer. The new position of Live Production Manager will ensure that live coverage of Queens Gaels sports continues to expand. All-in-all, QTV will continue to strengthen its business model while expanding service in the Queens community.
46
Alma Mater Society
Yearbook & Design Services

In 2011, Tricolour Publication Services was rebranded to form the current Yearbook & Design Services (YDS). YDS is a student-run service with the objective of creating high-quality publications, design, and photography for the Queens student community. Its core offerings remain the same: the Tricolour Agenda, Tricolour Yearbook, organizing graduate photography, and visual services. The earliest version of YDS came in the form of the 1928 Tricolour, which has since been produced continuously in 85 separate volumes. In 2011-2012, YDS had to deal with several challenges of operating a newly formed service. Having a new name meant that the service would need to be marketed heavily within the first weeks of students returning. Yearbook distribution also slowly tailed off over the course of the year. Expanding the operating structure through the addition of a marketing team also led to issues related to forming procedures and policies that would managed the group and it to succeed. Despite several operational challenges, the service experienced a successful year. This has been the first year in recent memory where the service has operated at a surplus. Visibility and engagement has also increased as demonstrated by interactions on social media and brand awareness surveys. Yearbook distribution also increased relative to its levels in previous years. Moving forward, YDS would like to engage with more students over social media, streamline book distribution procedures and continue fostering a sense of tradition within the Queens community.
47
FINANCIALS
48 49 50 52 53 54 55
Awards & Bursaries Funds & Other Operations Financial Statement Guide Balance Sheet Statement of Operations Statement of Changes in Net Assets Schedule of Internally Restricted Funds
49
AMS Awards and Bursaries

Alma Mater Society Accessibility Queens Bursary An endowed fund established by the AMS in September 2007 from funds accumulated in the Accessibility Queens Fund and awarded on the basis of financial need to students with disabilities who are registered with Queens Disability Services and who are not eligible for funding through the OSAP Bursary for Students with Disabilities. The bursary will help with the costs associated with adaptive technology, transportation costs , etc. One eligible recipient was identified in 2011-2012. The capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $339,350 with a projected market value of $333,874 . The Agnes Benidickson Bursary An endowed fund established by the AMS in honour of the Chancellor Emeritus, Agnes Benidickson. Funds have been donated through student activity fees and raised through Project Millennium. Awarded to an undergraduate student in financial need in any year of any faculty or school at Queens. With 2011-2012 awards of $46,800 the capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $913,637 with a projected market value of $1,027,156 . The Ida Mmari Scholarship for Refugee Students An expendable fund established by students of Queens University in memory of Ida Mmari of Tanzania, M. PI. 83. Funded from annual AMS student activity fee donations, scholarships are awarded to a refugee student and the scholarship is renewable for up to four years. With 2011-2012 awards of $50,695 the income account balance in the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $163,787 Disabled Students Bursaries An endowed fund established by the AMS and Arts and Science 82, to assist disabled students attending Queens. Bursaries are awarded on the basis of need. With 2011-2012 awards of $1,065 the capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $10,242 with a projected market value of $23,401. Student Loans Programme An expendable fund established by resolution of the AMS Board of Directors in 1976 for the purpose of providing short-term loans to Queens Students. Funding derives from interest on capital held by the AMS and from interest earned on the loans to students. As at April 30, 2012 , the income account balance in the fund was $41,710 . The AMS Native Student Awards An endowed fund established in 1990 by the AMS and awarded to native students entering first year in any faculty or school at Queens with preference given to undergraduate students. Selection is based on academic standing and/or financial need. With 2011-2012 awards of $2,900 , the capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $37,566 with a projected market value of $64,779. Work Bursary Programme An expendable fund established to cover the operating costs of a joint government/AMS sponsored program providing employment to financially constrained students. Funding for the programme from annual AMS student activity fees amounted to $75,443 in 20112012 AMS Sesquicentennial Bursaries An endowed fund established by the AMS in 1990. Bursaries are awarded to students in any faculty or school with preference to single parents with daycare expenses. With 2011-2012 awards of $12,800 the capital balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $140,688, with a projected market value of $281,158 Queens International Students Association Bursary An expendable fund established by the Queens International Students Association (an AMS Club). Funding is from annual AMS student activity fee donations. With 2011-2012 awards of $7625 the income account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $2,763. STRIVE Awards in Environmental Studies An expendable fund established by the AMS Committee, Students Taking Responsible Initiatives for a Viable Environment (STRIVE), and awarded to any undergraduate student at queens who combines environmental volunteer work with academic achievement. With awards of $500, an eligible recipient was identified in 2011-2012. The income account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $1.00.
50
Alma Mater Society
AMS Funds and Other Operations

Accessibility Queens Funds The Accessibility Queens Fund was created by referendum in 1988 to support the capital needs of Queens community members with disabilities on campus. Accessibility Queens Committee directed expenses cover those arising from accessibility capital projects and also include annual ongoing accessibility programs and services. The balance of this fund as at April 30, 2012 was $137,071. Advantage Fund The Advantage Fund was created by the Board of Directors in 1997. It is composed of short-term money-market and equity securities. The market value of these investments as at April 30, 2012 was approximately $4.5 million. Transfers from the fund to the operating fund are made monthly at a rate fixed by the Board of Directors and are recorded as interfund transfers. The funds balance as at April 30, 2012 was $205,384. Health and Dental Plans Fund The Health and Dental Plans Fund was created by the AMS Board of Directors in 2001 to provide accountability and visibility of surpluses and deficits arising from the previous years actual benefits claimed as compared to the budgeted amount and to ensure that surpluses and deficits do not subsidize or draw on other areas of the AMS operations. The balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 is $1,063,021. Student Centre Fund The Student Centre Fund was established in 1991 to receive revenue from the AMS student centre activity fee and from Services space cost allocations. The fund expenses included the AMS partnership portion of JDUC Councils facility operations costs and in addition facility costs for MacGillivray-Grown Hall. Effective May 2011, the AMS, Queens University and The Society of Graduate and Professional Students entered into the Management and Operations Agreement which provides for a sharing of costs associated with certain facilities referred to as the Student Life Centre such that surpluses and deficits arising from these costs will no longer be funded by the Student Centre Fund. Accumulated surpluses are to be used by the AMS to fund student centre facility based projects and improvements. The balance in the fund as of April 30, 2012 was $489,870. Queens Centre Fund The AMS had entered into an agreement with Queens University which sets out the terms and conditions relating to the AMSs financial commitment of $25.5 million to support the capital costs of the Queens Centre project. In 2012, Queens acknowledged that they were unable to complete the original project and therefore a new Agreement was negotiated. As part of this new agreement the AMS is holding $500,000 plus interest earned on payments held which results in a balance in the fund as at April 30, 2012 of $546,272. Student Life Centre Fund The AMS entered into an agreement with Queens University and The Society of Graduate and Professional Students as referred to above in the Student Centre Fund. This agreement requires the establishment of a capital and operating reserve in support of the Student Life Centre facility costs. There is a balance of $106,872 in the fund as at April 30, 2012. Special Project Grants The following is a list of recipients of the AMS Special Projects Grants from 2011-12. These grants are allocated by a subcommittee of the AMS Board of Directors and is chaired by the Vice-President University Affairs. Queens Health Outreach: $2,000 Queens Project on Intl Development (QPID): $750 Kinetiq Hip Hop Appreciation Club: $630 Kingstons Writer Festival: $4,000 Queens Intll Development Conference: $1,000 Queens Media and Journalism Conference: $1,000 Queens Music Club: $4,000 Ralph Nader Organizational Committee: $1,000
51
Financial Statement Guide

INTRODUCTION The Alma Mater Society of Queens University Incorporated (AMS) prepares financial statements on an annual basis which are audited by an independent public accounting firm approved annually by Assembly. The financial statements are comprised of, the statement of financial position as at April 30th, the statements of operations, changes in net assets, cash flows and internally restricted funds for the year ended April 30th and notes which comprise a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. Copies of the audited financial statements including the Auditors Report may be obtained from the AMS general office. Certain financial statements are included here to highlight the financial position and results of operations of the AMS. In addition, a brief synopsis of terms and definitions follow to assist in the understanding of the financial statements and serve as a guide to the inexperienced reader. AUDITORS REPORT An Auditors Report is provided to the stakeholders of the AMS on completion of an audit by an independent public accounting firm. The current auditors of the AMS are KPMG LLP. The report describes both managements responsibility and the auditors responsibility for the financial statements. An audit involves performing procedures, reviewing accounting estimates, assessing accounting principles used in constructing the financial data, and ultimately obtaining evidence to support reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material error. The key here is material error. There may be errors but not significant to impact decisions made by users of the financial statements.
A clean or unreserved audit opinion means that the auditors were able to satisfy themselves that the above conditions were met.
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION The statement of financial position, or the balance sheet as also known, is a snapshot of the financial position of the AMS as at April 30th. The Net Asset position of the AMS reflects the financial health of the AMS and its ability to meet its obligations at April 30th. The balance sheet is divided into 3 main sections: assets, liabilities and net assets. Assets: An asset is something which is expected to provide benefit to the firm now or in the future. Assets are listed on a balance sheet in order of liquidity (i.e. ease with which the asset can be converted into cash). A review of the AMS balance sheet shows a high level of assets held in the form of cash or near-cash items. Capital assets are recorded at historical cost and are depreciated (charged to operations) over a period of time determined by the Board of Directors. Liabilities: A liability is something which entails future obligation. As with assets, liabilities are segmented between obligations which will come due in the short-term (current liabilities) and those which will come due in the long-term. The liabilities of the AMS consist only of short term amounts due to suppliers, government agencies and amounts held by the AMS on behalf of other non-AMS groups. Net assets: Equity is the residual after deducting liabilities from assets. In essence, it represents the net worth of the company. The equity section of the AMS balance sheet is divided into a number of components. The operating fund represents the accumulated profits and losses from operations of the AMS over its history. It is increased (or decreased) annually by the net income (or loss) from the operation of AMS services and commissions. Over the years the Society has appropriated funds for specific services or projects. These are known as reserves and are disclosed in the equity section of the balance sheet. Finally, the AMS has established internally restricted funds to handle the flow of money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queens Fund, Advantage Fund,
52
Alma Mater Society

money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queens Fund, Advantage Fund, Health and Dental Plans Fund, and the Student Centre Fund). The reported balance represents the amounts segregated by the AMS to be used for those specific purposes.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS The statement of operations reports the results of operations, or revenue less expenses, for a corporation for a given period. The AMS reported a net surplus from operations of approximately $313,000 after interfund transfers for the 12 months ended April 30, 2012. The breakdown of this number can be seen on schedules provided as follows; Schedules of Service, Other Corporate, and Government Revenue Expenses and Interfund Transfers. Also reported in the AMS statement of operations is the net activity during the year for the internally restricted funds, which is a reduction of $2,545,000 after interfund transfers. The composition of this number can be seen on the Statement of Internally Restricted Funds. The majority of this reduction results from the payment by the AMS to Queens of the 2011 and 2012 Queens Centre project fees. STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS The statement of changes in net assets provides a continuity of the opening balance of each equity component and the ending balance for the 12 months ended April 30th. STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS The statement of cash flows shows how changes in balance sheet accounts and excess of revenue over expenses affect cash and cash equivalents and breaks the analysis down between operations and investment activities. Essentially, the cash flow statement is concerned with the flow of cash in and out of the business, identifying an increase or decrease in cash and cash equivalents during the year. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Notes to financial statements are additional information added to the end of the financial statements. Notes to financial statements help explain specific accounting policies used by the AMS and additional details required for the assessment of the AMSs financial condition.
53

INTRODUCTION The Alma Mater Society of Queens University Incorporated (AMS) prepares financial statements on an annual basis which are audited by an independent public accounting firm approved annually by Assembly. The financial statements are comprised of, the statement of financial position as at April 30th, the statements of operations, changes in net assets, cash flows and internally restricted funds for the year ended April 30th and notes which comprise a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. Copies of the audited financial statements including the Auditors Report may be obtained from the AMS general office. Certain financial statements are included here to highlight the financial position and results of operations of the AMS. In addition, a brief synopsis of terms and definitions follow to assist in the understanding of the financial statements and serve as a guide to the inexperienced reader. AUDITORS REPORT An Auditors Report is provided to the stakeholders of the AMS on completion of an audit by an independent public accounting firm. The current auditors of the AMS are KPMG LLP. The report describes both managements responsibility and the auditors responsibility for the financial statements. An audit involves performing procedures, reviewing accounting estimates, assessing accounting principles used in constructing the financial data, and ultimately obtaining evidence to support reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material error. The key here is material error. There may be errors but not significant to impact decisions made by users of the financial statements.
A clean or unreserved audit opinion means that the auditors were able to satisfy themselves that the above conditions were met.
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION The statement of financial position, or the balance sheet as also known, is a snapshot of the financial position of the AMS as at April 30th. The Net Asset position of the AMS reflects the financial health of the AMS and its ability to meet its obligations at April 30th. The balance sheet is divided into 3 main sections: assets, liabilities and net assets. Assets: An asset is something which is expected to provide benefit to the firm now or in the future. Assets are listed on a balance sheet in order of liquidity (i.e. ease with which the asset can be converted into cash). A review of the AMS balance sheet shows a high level of assets held in the form of cash or near-cash items. Capital assets are recorded at historical cost and are depreciated (charged to operations) over a period of time determined by the Board of Directors. Liabilities: A liability is something which entails future obligation. As with assets, liabilities are segmented between obligations which will come due in the short-term (current liabilities) and those which will come due in the long-term. The liabilities of the AMS consist only of short term amounts due to suppliers, government agencies and amounts held by the AMS on behalf of other non-AMS groups. Net assets: Equity is the residual after deducting liabilities from assets. In essence, it represents the net worth of the company. The equity section of the AMS balance sheet is divided into a number of components. The operating fund represents the accumulated profits and losses from operations of the AMS over its history. It is increased (or decreased) annually by the net income (or loss) from the operation of AMS services and commissions. Over the years the Society has appropriated funds for specific services or projects. These are known as reserves and are disclosed in the equity section of the balance sheet. Finally, the AMS has established internally restricted funds to handle the flow of money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queens Fund, Advantage Fund,
52
Alma Mater Society

money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queens Fund, Advantage Fund, Health and Dental Plans Fund, and the Student Centre Fund). The reported balance represents the amounts segregated by the AMS to be used for those specific purposes.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS The statement of operations reports the results of operations, or revenue less expenses, for a corporation for a given period. The AMS reported a net surplus from operations of approximately $313,000 after interfund transfers for the 12 months ended April 30, 2012. The breakdown of this number can be seen on schedules provided as follows; Schedules of Service, Other Corporate, and Government Revenue Expenses and Interfund Transfers. Also reported in the AMS statement of operations is the net activity during the year for the internally restricted funds, which is a reduction of $2,545,000 after interfund transfers. The composition of this number can be seen on the Statement of Internally Restricted Funds. The majority of this reduction results from the payment by the AMS to Queens of the 2011 and 2012 Queens Centre project fees. STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS The statement of changes in net assets provides a continuity of the opening balance of each equity component and the ending balance for the 12 months ended April 30th. STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS The statement of cash flows shows how changes in balance sheet accounts and excess of revenue over expenses affect cash and cash equivalents and breaks the analysis down between operations and investment activities. Essentially, the cash flow statement is concerned with the flow of cash in and out of the business, identifying an increase or decrease in cash and cash equivalents during the year. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Notes to financial statements are additional information added to the end of the financial statements. Notes to financial statements help explain specific accounting policies used by the AMS and additional details required for the assessment of the AMSs financial condition.
53
Financial Statements
THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEENS UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED Balance Sheet April 30, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011 2012 Assets Current assets: Cash Marketable securities (note 2) Accrued interest Accounts receivable Inventories Prepaid expenses Capital assets (note 3) Less accumulated amortization Other Assets: Student Loans Program $ 421,744 5,079, 351 21,331 498,836 155,900 26,478 6, 203, 640 3,597,251 3,213,287 383,964 41, 710 $ 6,629,314 Liabilities and Net Assets Current Liabilities Bank Indebtedness Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Funds held for Queens Bands Funds held for Union Gallery Funds held for CFRC Radio Club Net assets: Net assets invested in capital assets (note 5) Other reserves internally restricted (note 1(a)) Internally restricted funds (note 6) Externally restricted funds (note 6) Operating fund- unrestricted Commitments (note 7) $ 2,133,876 21,510 15,527 581 2,171,494 383,964 250,000 1,895,346 653,144 1,275,366 4,457,820 $ 6,629,314 $ 120, 827 2,105,178 68, 930 14,232 620 2,309,787 286,225 250,000 5,093,560 1,059,718 6,689,503 $ 8,999,290 $ 7,220,648 28,576 1,226,994 168,925 26,452 8,671,595 3,324,764 3,038,539 286,225 41, 470 $ 8,999,290 2011
54
Alma Mater Society
Statement of Operations
THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEENS UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED Schedule of Service Revenues, Expenses and Interfund Transfers Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011 2012
Revenue CFRC Common Ground Coffee House Convocation Services Food Bank Publishing and Copy Centre Queens Journal Queens Student Constables Queens TV* Student Life Centre The AMS Pub Services Tricolour Outlet Yearbook & Design Services Walk-home Service $ 168,248 1,097,356 53,620 21,772 491,023 334,986 311,299 77,428 224,626 1,547,109 1,260,849 313,437 393,462 $ 6,295,215 $ Expenses 184,609 1,110,827 40,377 23,656 444,253 328,854 320,496 83,059 248,321 1,551,295 1,269,487 220,521 363,724 $ 6,189,479 $ Net Interfund Transfers Contribution $ (16,361) $ (13,471) 13,243 (1,884) 46,770 6,132 (9,197) (5,631) (23,695) (4,186) (8,638) 92,916 29,738 $ 105,736 Revenue $144,786 1,036,032 54,047 16,416 474, 899 325,623 310,394 40,552 2,013 1,503,988 1,314,523 263,180 379,731 Expenses $163,153 1,005,266 26,944 15,433 383,061 280,215 326,237 49,273 44,118 1,440,771 1,303,007 261,639 369,388
2011
Interfund Net Transfers Contribution $ $ (18,367) (25,901) 56,667 2,200 21,167 31,417 2,000 3,183 61,000 60,083 8,542 2,600 $ 248,859 27,103 (1,217) 70,671 13,991 (17,843) (11,904) (42,105) $2,217 (48,567) (7,001) 7,743 $ (51,180)
$ 5,866,184 $ 5,668,505
*This figure combined the Queens Media and Journalism Conference with Queens TV. 2012-13 statements will be seperate.
Schedule of Other Corporate Revenues, Expenses and Interfund Transfers Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011 2012
Revenue AMS General Office Board of Directors Communications Office Human Resources Office Information Technology Office Marketing Office Student Centre Office $1,871,420 51,132 60,805 164,014 47,715 1,345,197 $3,540,283 Expenses $1,918,825 47,161 51,308 59,026 159,147 42,862 1,176,156 $3,454,485 Net Interfund Transfers Contribution $ 51,595 $ (99,000) 22,839 (70,000) (176) 1,779 4,867 106,872 $ (62,128) 4,853 62,169 $147,926 Revenue $ 1,786,984 48,809 62,901 148,350 30,519 $ 2,077,563 Expenses 1,891,927 29,778 46,474 57,387 107,350 17,784 $ 2,150,701
2011
Interfund Net Transfers Contribution (126,167) $ 21,223 (90,000) 60,222 2,335 5,514 41,000 $ (216,167) 12,735 $ 143,029
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Statement of Operations (contd)

THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEENS UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED Schedule of Other Government Revenues, Expenses and Interfund Transfers Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011 2012
Revenue Academic Affairs Commission Assembly Campus Activities Comission Internal Affairs Commission Municipal Affairs Commission O.U.S.A Social Issues Commission Sustainability Commission Vice-President University Affairs $ 45,690 44,845 412,953 120,924 75,532 55,936 87,652 74,901 12,431 $ 930,864 Expenses $ 39,538 23,332 447,189 112,253 70,083 43,126 71,383 62,407 11,828 $ 881,139 Net Interfund Transfers Contribution $ 6,152 $ (10,000) (10,000) 31,513 (34,236) 8,671 5,449 12,810 16,269 12,494 603 (59,725) Revenue $ 41,117 34,823 434,235 125, 043 68,289 37,996 70,474 55,325 7,700 $ 875,002 Expenses $ 35,511 13,718 527,709 106,818 71,266 42,525 79,040 40,382 1,892 $878,479 $
2011
Interfund Net Transfers Contribution $ 5,606 21,104 (93,474) 18,225 (2,977) (4,529) (8,566) 14,943 5,808 (43,859)
Statement of Changes in Net Assets Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011
Net Assets invested in capital assets Balances, beginning of year Excess of revenue over expenses (expenses over revenue) net of interfund transfers Net change in investment in capital assets Balances, end of year $ 286,225 (174,749) 272,488 $ 383,964 Net Assets invested in capital assets Balances, beginning of year Excess of revenue over expenses (expenses over revenue) net of interfund transfers Net change in investment in capital assets Balances, end of year $ 248, 485 (159,445) 197,185 $ 286, 225 Other reserves $ 250,000 $ 250,000 Other reserves Internally restricted funds $ 5,093,560 (3,198,214) $ 1,895,346 Internally restricted funds Externally restricted funds Operating fund 2011 Total $ 6,689,503 (2,231,683) $ 4,457,820 2010 Total
- $ 1,059,718 653,144 488,136 (272,488)
$ 653,144 $ 1,275,366 Internally restricted funds Operating fund
$ 250,000 $ 2,896,236 $ 250,000 2,197,324 $ 5,093,560
- $ 1,049,468 $ 4, 444, 189 207,435 (197,186) 2,245,314 $6,689,503
- $ 1,059,718
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Alma Mater Society
Statements of Restricted Funds

THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEENS UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED Schedule of Restricted Fund Revenue, Expenses and Inerfund Transfers Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011 2012
Revenue Internally restricted Accessibility Queen`s Funds $ 45,732 (15,266) Advantage Fund 2,292,735 Health and Dental Plans Fund Student Centre Fund 2,219,251 Queens Centre $ Expenses 6,000 71,076 2,157,076 59,892 4,721,350 Interfund Transfer $ 5,000 94,000 80,000 546,272 Net Contribution $ 34,732 (180,342) 55,659 (59,892) (3,048,371) $ (3,198,214) $ 546,272 106,872 653,144 $ (2,545,070) $ Revenue 55,092 330,660 2,007,069 440,105 2,023,632 $ Expenses 30,526 38,142 2,008,357 614,901 Interfund Transfer $ 5,000 94,000 79,000 (210,692) -
2011
Net Contribution $ 19,566 198,518 (80,288) 35,896 2,023,632
$ 4,542,452 $ 7,015,394 Externally restricted Queens Centre Student Life Centre Total Restricted Funds -
$ 725,272 $ (546,272) (106,872) (653,144) $ 72,128
$ 4,856,558 $ 2,691,926 -
$ (32,692) $ (32,692)
$ 2,197,324 $ 2,197,324
$ 4,542,452 $ 7,015,394
$ 4,856,558 $ 2,691,926
Restricted Funds Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011
Internally Restricted Funds Consist of the following:
2012
Accessibility Queen`s Funds Advantage Fund Health and Dental Plans Fund Student Centre Fund Queens Centre Externally restricted funds consist of the following: $ 137,071 205,384 1,063,021 489,870 $ 1,895,346
2011
$ 102, 339 385,726 1,007,362 549,762 3,048,371 $ 5,093,560
2012
Queens Centre Student Life Centre $ 546,272 106,872 $ 653, 144 $ $
2011
-
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Your Society 2011-2012

Executive
President Morgan Campbell Vice-President (Operations) Ashley Eagan Vice-President (University Affairs) Kieran Slobodin
Council
Academic Affairs Commissioner Mira Dineen Retail Services Director Jeff Heenan Communications Officer Amanda Judd Clubs Manager Craig Draeger General Manager Annette Bergeron Journal Administrative Assistant Gabe King Campus Activities Commissioner Stephen Pariser Hospitality & Safety Services Director Gracie Goad Human Resources Officer Alex Miller Judicial Affairs Director Alison Sproat Information Officer Greg McKellar CFRC Operations Officer Kristiana Clemens Commissioner of Internal Affairs Mark Preston Media Services Director Dan Szczepanek Information Technology Manager Chris Whelan Orientation Roundtable Coordinator Dmitri Tchebotarev Retail Operations Officer John McDiarmid CFRC Business Manager Marketing Officer Andrew Baldanza Board of Directors Chair Mitch Piper Administrative Assistant Nancy Warnica Controller Lyn Parry Accounting Assistant Janice Kirkpatrick Student Centre Officer Gillian Shields Municipal Affairs Commissioner David Sinkinson Social Issues Commissioner T.K. Pritchard Commissioner of the Envrionment and Sustainability Adam DiSimine
Officers, Permanent Staff & Board of Directors
Irina Skvortsova
Service Management The Publishing &

Copy Centre Head Manager Justin Brooks Assistant Managers Leah Macnamara Katherine Stasiak Emily Steer
Tricolour Outlet Head Manager Dayna Shoot Assistant Managers Kait Babin Hillary Land Steven Brooks Alexandrina Shannon Queens Journal Editor-in-Chiefs Clare Clancy, Jake Edminston Business Manager Daniel Weinshenker
Common Ground Head Manager Sam Guertin Assistant Managers Brittany Brewster Mackenzie Goodwin Keenan Randall Josie Qui Becky Rose Queens TV Executive Producer Eugene Michasiw Business Manager James McArthur
The AMS Pub Services Head Manager Fay Yachetti Assistant Managers Daryoush Moezzi Jessica Flower Vince Castronovo Matt Kelling Emma Nicholl Sarah Koopman Kelly Walter Yearbook & Design Services Head Manager Alvin Suen Production Manager Hamza Bangash
Queens Student Constables Head Manager Will Schwenger Assistant Manager Nicholas Cole
Walkhome Head Manager Lorin Adams
CFRC 101.9FM Music Programming Manager Kym Nacita Spoken Word Programming Manager
Fraser MacPherson
58
Alma Mater Society
Cha Gheill!
Annual Report 2011-2012 59
WWW.MYAMS.ORG

AMS Annual Report, 2011-12

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AMS Annual Report, 2011-12

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Publication Credits

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Alma Mater Society Annual Report 2011-12

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Overview of the Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Annual Report 2011-2012

Mission Statement & Mandate

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Brief History (contd)

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

AMS Assembly (contd)

Alma Mater Society

AMS Assembly (contd)

President Vice-President Concurrent Education Students Association President 3 Elected Representatives

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Student Life Centre

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Academic Affairs Commission

Alma Mater Society

Campus Activities Commission

Annual Report 2011-2012

Commission of Internal Affairs

Alma Mater Society

Municipal Affairs Commission

Social Issues Commission

Alma Mater Society

Commission of the Environment and Sustainability

Annual Report 2011-2012

Communications Human Resources Information Technology Marketing Student Centre Sustainabiliy

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Information Technology Office

Alma Mater Society

Human Resources Office

Annual Report 2011-2012

Student Centre Office

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Retail Hospitality Safety Media

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

The AMS Pub Services

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

Annual Report 2011-2012

Alma Mater Society

The Queens Journal

Annual Report 2011-2012

Media Services (contd)

Alma Mater Society

Yearbook & Design Services