AMS Annual Report, 2011-12

Alma Mater Society2

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

Printed By: The Publishing & Copy Centre

Alma Mater SocietyJohn Deutsch University CentreQueen’s UniversityKingston, OntarioK7L 3N6Tel: (613) 533-3001Fax: (613) 533-3002Website: www.myAMS.org

3Annual Report 2011-2012

Editor’s Note

The Alma Mater Society of Queen’s 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 Queen’s 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 Society’s 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’ gover-nance 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.

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Alma Mater SocietyAnnual Report 2011-12

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Table of Contents

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SocietyCommissionsOfficesServicesFinancialsSociety Directory 2011-2012


Overview of the Society The Queen’s University’s 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 organiza-tion without share capital.

The Alma Mater Society’s constitution takes priority over all other student societies and organizations to which its members may belong. The Society’s highest legislative body is the AMS Assembly which consists of representatives from all of the following AMS member societies:

Arts & Science Undergraduate Society

Physical & Health Education and Kinesiology Students’ Association

Commerce Society

Concurrent Education Students’ Association

Computing Students Association

Nursing Science Society

MBA Students’ Society

Engineering Society

Aesculapian Society

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 Society’s corporate services and associ-ated 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.

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SOCIETY


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Mission Statement & MandateBrief History of the AMSAMS AssemblyBoard of DirectorsStudent Life CentreThe AMS Executive

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Mission Statement & MandateAMS Mission StatementTo serve and represent the diversity of students at Queen’s University.

AMS Mandate1. To represent Queen’s University students within the university and externally by working to

further the best interests of the members of the AMS, giving particular concern to representa-tion 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.


Brief HistoryThe Alma Mater Society is the oldest student as-sociation 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 govern-ment at Queen’s in 1858. The original objectives of the society were the defense of students’ rights, the facilitation of discussion, the promotion and en-couragement 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, conduct-ing 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, dur-ing this period the AMS president was required to be either a Queen’s 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, pro-vided 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 pur-poses were now the cultivation of literary, scientific and musical tastes, the encouragement of athletics, and the publication of the Queen’s 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 stu-dents to the Senate.

One of the most important developments in AMS history also transpired in 1898. This was the offi-cial delegation of responsibility for non-academic discipline to the Alma Mater Society and its new “AMS Court” (now known as the AMS Judicial Com-mittee). Previously this responsibility was held by the Senate under the Royal Charter that cre-ated Queen’s, 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 main-tain order at student functions. Both of these es-sential elements in student life remain to this day.

The 1930s brought one highly significant devel-opment. Beginning in the early 1920s there was persistent discussion surrounding the introduction to Queen’s of the fraternities and sororities that were so popular in the United States. The opposi-tion to them was strong, however, and was based primarily on the concern that loyalty to fraternities would diminish loyalty to Queen’s and that the very nature of fraternities and the exclusivity of their membership might jeopardize Queen’s 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 rela-tively quiet throughout the issue. But in late 1934, in response to the strong AMS stance, passed a still-in-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.”


Brief HistoryDuring 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 mem-bers, alumni, and staff left Queen’s 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 expand-ing scope of its activities, it underwent a major restructuring in 1969. It was at this time that the commission system was created. The original com-missions, 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 representa-tives from all the faculty societies, was known as the Outer Council. Inner Council and Outer Council are now respectively known as Council and As-sembly. 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 en-vironment issues and external funding/tuition/stu-dent aid lobbying issues in one place; and the cre-ation of the Municipal Affairs Commission in 1994 in recognition of the important and diverse nature of student interaction with the Kingston commu-nity. 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 Is-sues.’ 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

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. Alfie’s 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. Alfie’s was soon followed by the Queen’s 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 Queen’s Journal for new and separate space, in 1990-91 the AMS purchased a house on Earl Street in which to relocate the newspaper’s operations. It has since been relocated to 190 University Avenue to make room for the Queen’s 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 Queen’s University the AMS sublet a number of university owned houses and apart-ments and acted as a landlord. The AMS admin-istered 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.


Throughout its evolution and growth, the AMS has maintained its longstanding commitment to tradi-tional 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 with-out share capital under the name of “Alma Mater Society of Queen’s 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 creat-ing the current AMS Mission Statement which is: “To serve and represent the diversity of students at Queen’s.” 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 univer-sity

• 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 predeces-sor, 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 Queen’s students voted to leave.

The AMS subsequently became a founding mem-ber of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, which it left in 1995 only to rejoin in 2000. In 2009-2010, 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 Queen’s 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. Subse-quently, 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 compo-nent of the Queen’s 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 aca-demic 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, Macgillivray-Brown Hall, the Grey House (51 Bader Lane) and the non-athletic student life space within the new Queen’s Centre.


Brief History (cont’d)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.


AMS AssemblyAssembly is the highest legislative and decision-making body for the undergradu-ate student government at Queen’s Uni-versity. It is comprised of roughly 40 repre-sentatives 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 debat-ing reports, recommendations and motions as submitted by Council, the Faculty Soci-eties, 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 bi-weekly Assemblies and submit motions.

The 2011-12 Assembly was notable for ap-proving a large number of amendments to the AMS constitution and policy manuals, which arose from a comprehensive docu-ment review conducted by the Executive. Internally, the Assembly approved the creation of two new committees within the fledgling Commission of Environmen-tal 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 cre-ation of a Community Opportunities Facili-tator position to enhance student employ-ment in Kingston; and a complete overhaul of policy governing the election of the Rec-tor. In September, the Assembly approved the efforts of the Municipal Affairs Commis-sion to rebrand the student housing area adjacent to the University. Occasionally

referenced as the “Student Village”, this area would henceforth be known as the “Univer-sity District” in AMS communications.

In January, the Assembly unanimously granted historic approval of a Memoran-dum of Understanding between the AMS and the University that established the conditions attached to the cessation of the AMS contribution to the unfinished Queen’s 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 Queen’s Centre Student Working Group. This body would now serve to consider how remain-ing student fee monies allocated to the Queen’s 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 Af-fairs Office setting out its proposal to es-tablish 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.


AMS Assembly (cont’d)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 Op-portunities and Outreach Coordinator - to assist with the workload. In February, As-sembly exercised its oversight responsibili-ties by conducting a comprehensive mid-year 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 Of-fice to promote attendance, the turnout fell far short of quorum. Nevertheless, those members in attendance did confirm a $1.66 increase in the Queen’s Student Constables student activity fee to $10. Presentations by the Executive, Rector and Judicial Affairs Di-rector 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 en-joyed 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.


AMS Assembly (cont’d)

Alma Mater SocietyPresident VP (Operations)VP (University Affairs)Academic Affairs Commissioner*Campus Activities Commissioner*Commissioner of Internal Affairs*Municipal Affairs Commissioner*Commissioner of the Environ-ment and Sustainability*Social Issues Commissioner*Hospitality & Safety Services Director*Retail Services Director*Media Services Director*

Nursing Science SocietyPresidentVice-President

Engineering SocietyPresidentVP (Student Development)4 Elected Representatives

Commerce SocietyPresidentVP (External)VP (Internal)2 Elected Representatives

Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Society

PresidentVice-President8 Elected Representatives

Aesculapian SocietyPresident2 Elected Representatives

Computing Students’ AssociationPresident Vice-President

Concurrent Education Students’ Association

President3 Elected Representatives

Physical & Health Education & Kinesiology Students’

AssociationPresidentVP (Operations)VP (University Affairs)

MBA Students’ SocietyPresidentVice-President

Main Campus Residence Council

PresidentVice- President

Jean Royce Hall CouncilPresident

Other Ex-OfficiosUndergraduate Student Trustee*Queen’s Rector*Student Senate Caucus Chair*Board of Directors Chair*

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.


Board of DirectorsThe Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University Inc. Board of Directors is the body that has been en-trusted 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 expendi-tures deemed necessary for the long-term viability of AMS services, such as new flooring at Queen’s 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 Board’s practices and procedures. This year was also the first that the AMS had opera-tional 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 suc-cessful, and the Board of Directors looks forward to maintaining a good relationship with the SLC management partners, Queen’s University and the SGPS. The audited financial statements contained within this report illustrate the positive financial founda-tion that has been established through the Board of Directors diligent management work and col-laboration. It is the Board’s 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 conduct-ing 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 mak-ing our decisions to best reflect the core values of the AMS as an institution to serve students’ inter-ests.


The Student Life Centre (SLC) buildings provide a home for the Queen’s 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 Queen’s Centre, 51 Bader Lane (the “Grey House”), and Macgillivray-Brown Hall. Collectively, these build-ings provide tens of thousands of square metres of assignable space and facilities for student commu-nity governance and operations and constitute the principal location for the essential programs and services offered by students for students, includ-ing: faculty societies, student clubs and organiza-tions; greater Queen’s and Kingston community programs, a wide range of entertainment and retail products and services; and various student-focused student organizations and University administra-tive offices. The AMS governs, manages and operates these facilities directly or in partnership with the Uni-versity 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 initia-tives in 2011-2012 focused primarily on upgrading and renovating the JDUC, as well as Macgillivray-Brown Hall for increased student activity use and initiating a relationship with Athletics & Recreation for a renovation of the gymnasium level.

Student Life Centre On May 1 2011, the Management and Operations Agreement came into effect, transferring man-agement control of the Student Life Centre build-ings 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.


AMS ExecutiveThe 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 Camp-bell, VPOPs Ashley Eagan and VPUA Kieran Slo-bodin focused their attention on a wide variety of projects, overseeing a year of excellence in student advocacy and government activity, and the rein-vestment of capital in AMS services and program-ming 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 contribu-tion to the capital costs of the Queen’s Centre in light of the University’s acknowledged inability to fund Phases 2 and 3 of the project. The Execu-tive authored a detailed report, accompanied by a timeline of the project’s history, which recom-mended that insofar as only one third of the origi-nal 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 negotia-tions the Board aquised. In agreeing to a contribu-tion 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 de-livered two commercial tenants to the new student life centre. After months of detailed planning and negotiations with the University, the City of Kings-ton and commercial retailers, the Executive over-came numerous obstacles to fill previously unused commercial space in the Queen’s Centre with the very first campus grocery store. Grocery Checkout

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 Queen’s Centre, occupying yet another unfilled commercial space.

Finally, on the student life front, the Executive entered into a partnership with Queen’s Athletics and Recreation to undertake significant renova-tions 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 over-sight and to facilitate a more transparent budget-ing process for commissions and offices. Through the summer months, a comprehensive review of the AMS constitution and policy manuals was con-ducted which led to the approval of a large num-ber of amendments and updates to these critically important documents. The Executive partnered with the Queen’s 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 under-gone a significant redesign over the past decade, indications were that students found the new site far easier to navigate and were successfully access-


AMS Executive

The President is responsible for the external representation of the Society and is ultimately accountable for ensuring the fulfilment of the Society’s mandate and mission. The President also acts as the Chief Executive Of-ficer 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 Vice-President of Operations is responsible for all day-to-day operational and financial matters of 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 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.

ing its regular updates and relevant content. These latter initiatives were made possible by the Execu-tive’s 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. Nego-tiations were successfully concluded with Queen’s Athletics and the AMS Health Plan provider, Stu-dent 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 writ-ten 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 Queen’s 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 Queen’s Athletics, result-ing 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 op-ed 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 University’s senior administration and the increasing exclu-sion 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 Execu-tive identified what it believed was the current administration’s apparent adoption of the philoso-phy of acting in loco parentis, “in the place of a par-ent”, an approach historically rejected by Queen’s, wherein Queen’s would now become far more hands-on in students’ lives. Describing an adminis-tration that has become excessively risk averse and out of touch with the longstanding Queen’s tradi-tion 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.


COMMISSIONS


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Academic Affairs Campus Activities Internal AffairsMunicipal Affairs Social Issues


Academic Affairs CommissionThe 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, advo-cating 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 num-ber of challenges in 2011-12 during which many academic changes approved by Queen’s in past years, were implemented. SOLUS, the new student administrative system, went through the first round of registration over the summer of 2011. Unfortu-nately, communication about SOLUS was inade-quate 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 neu-tral 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 Septem-ber 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 chal-lenges.

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” nota-tions 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

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 Strate-gic 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 unprec-edented 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 OUSA’s 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-ap-pointed 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: It’s a Big F#@%in’ Deal!” to encourage stu-dents 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.


Campus Activities CommissionThe CAC had a positive year in 2011/2012, highlighted by the introduction of many improvements to past practices. The CAC’s 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 Commission’s 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 experi-ences 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 Queen’s Model United Nations created a website that allowed delegates to en-gage 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 ac-complishment was bringing the Orientation Concert back to campus, which increased safety, reduced costs, and facilitated community building. Overall, the CAC’s 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 limi-tations (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 antici-pated, 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.


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 extracurricu-lar 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 re-sponse to the University’s review of non-academic discipline. Strongly supported by the AMS Execu-tive, the Commissioner and the Judicial Affairs Director attended a large number of meetings with senior Queen’s administrators on this issue, stand-ing 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 Queen’s 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 year’s 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 sala-ried 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 three-team 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 Commit-tee produced a thoughtful and lengthy ruling that rejected the appeal.


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 adminis-tration for improvements in the quality of life for students in the University District. Moreover, the Commis-sion has also been playing a key role in Town-Gown relations as it is the primary student representative for Queen’s students in the City of Kingston.

The Commission’s 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 chroni-cally 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 land-lords. 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 unsuccess-ful 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 commission’s advertising budget. It is anticipated that next year the MAC budget will increase signifi-cantly to account for Summer House Check and SMART’s full time head manager, staff, and operating ex-penses.


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 Queen’s, 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-oppres-sion 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 com-mitment 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 Queen’s Coali-tion 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.


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 Queen’s 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 com-mission 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 hous-es 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 valu-able 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 cam-pus. The Fund looks to support projects that have an environmental goal and include an aspect of commu-nity 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 Queen’s Solar Design Team, a move out project, a QIDC confer-ence, the Food Centre, a biology final project, Queen’s 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 apprecia-tion 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 latter’s expenses funded through a pre-vious AMS Board of Director’s 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 promis-ing new programming in its first year of operations.


OFFICES


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CommunicationsHuman ResourcesInformation TechnologyMarketingStudent CentreSustainabiliy


Communications OfficeThe Communications Office (CO) is responsible for facilitating communications between the AMS and its undergraduate constituency, the broader campus and municipal communities, and govern-ments. 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 market-ing/advertising responsibilities, enjoyed its first full-time twelve-month term. The impact, produc-tivity 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 Infor-mation Technology Officer, Marketing Officer and VPUA to create a new website. A new myAMS.org launched in early August 2011 and received im-mediate tremendous feedback. Important new features included a much more intuitive organi-zation 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 sec-tion 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 con-nect 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 suc-cessful content and learn how to improve com-munications 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 Bulle-tin 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 previ-ous three years and through advertising decision-making 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 in-troduce 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.


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 mar-ket research and ensuring the primacy and consis-tency 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 Queen’s University. Towards this end, the Marketing Office grew quickly in this past year, growing into its responsibilities and develop-ing new areas of interest and attention. The Mar-keting Office serves, in part, to reduce the quan-tity 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 Mar-keting Office include the undertaking of compre-hensive market research initiatives, the direction and organization of marketing caucus, the devel-opment 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 con-sultative 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 Market-ing 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 repre-sentation was a key component to this year’s ef-forts, 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 corpo-rate services, and the AMS brand. The Marketing Office was also a key player in many wide-reaching awareness, informational and marketing cam-paigns, including the Ontario Provincial Election GOTV campaign, the AMS Food Centre campaign, the launch of the two new retailers in the Queen’s Centre (DrugSmart Pharmacy and GroceryCheck-out), and the AMS elections and referenda. The Marketing Office will continue to grow off of this year’s successes, and will emphasize the office’s role in the marketing of the AMS services.

Marketing Office


Information Technology Office The Information Technology Office (ITO) works to support the IT infrastructure, consisting of both equipment and services, on which virtually all as-pects of AMS activity are dependent. The creation and launch of a new AMS website was one of the year’s major projects and entailed the ITO support-ing 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 sup-ported by a report was released by the AMS Mar-keting Office. Efforts will continue to enhance the website’s capacity to allow AMS services to sell or distribute products online.

Another significant development was the estab-lishment 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 Af-fairs 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 or-der to eliminate all of the Windows XP computers.

To enhance security it was decided to move virtu-ally 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 develop-ment, a new and comprehensive policy was written and approved at year end by the Board of Direc-tors. One important policy area related to security issues and in particular the treatment of confiden-tial information. Queen’s University IT lent valuable assistance to this process. Efforts in this area are likely to continue in the coming year. A final initia-tive deserving mention is a service level agreement reached by ITO with the Engineering Society out-lining 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 activ-ity warrant careful exploration of the best options to meet growing needs. Agreements with Queen’s IT, contracting out some services and an optimal personnel structure are all expected to be reviewed in the coming year.


Human Resources OfficeThe 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, train-ing, appreciation, development and record keep-ing 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 involve-ment 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 appli-cants in the previous year. The idea of online ap-plications 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 re-branded materials such as pamphlets, banner bugs and an AMS video were utilised for pan AMS re-cruitment. 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 dur-ing 2011-2012, defining very specific timelines and requirements for submitted manuals and imple-menting 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 posi-tion 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 fol-lows; Academic Affairs Commission- Laura Skellet and Clayton Lee (External Advocacy Coordinators), Commission of Internal Affairs- Thompson Ham-ilton (Judicial Committee Chair), Commission of the Environment & Sustainability- Chuk Odenigbo and Erin Blanchard (Greenovations Chairs), Cam-pus Activities Commission- Tyvon Greene (Sports Deputy & ORT Director), Municipal Affairs Commis-sion- Courtney Wilson (Breakfast Club Chair), Social Issues Commission- Evette Yassa (Peer Support Centre Marketing & Outreach Coordinator), Queen’s 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 Involve-ment- Megan Stanley (CAC Politics Deputy). Looking to 2012-2013, a primary focus of the Hu-man Resources Office will be to implement online applications for the Fall 2012 hiring season in asso-ciation 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.


Student Centre Office The Student Centre Officer (SCO) duties are primar-ily centred on supporting the activities of the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), MacGillivray-Brown Hall, 51 Bader Lane (the “Grey House”), and the Queen’s Centre. These buildings encompass a variety of services and spaces open to all members of the Queen’s and the larger Kingston commu-nities. These spaces serve as venues for student events, faculty meeting spaces, and offices for cam-pus groups. The SCO’s 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 Queen’s 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 MacGillivray-Brown Hall, and increasing traffic and program-ming in the JDUC and Queen’s Centre. Although MacGillivray-Brown Hall continued to pose chal-lenges due to its location and common perception, the nature of its utilization improved dramatically. The priorities for 2011-2012 included improve-ments 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, Queen’s 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 Queen’s Centre has been, and will continue to be developed to more fully and accurately reflect the diverse communities at Queen’s, while simulta-neously raising the aesthetic of the building.



SERVICES


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RetailHospitalitySafetyMedia


Retail ServicesPublishing & Copy Centre2011/2012 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 Queen’s 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 service’s impor-tance to the Queen’s 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 Queen’s University and the Kings-ton Community.

Tricolour OutletTricolour 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 recogni-tion and place within the Queen’s Community. This year’s focus was increased recognition from Queen’s 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 Queen’s student body.

Another important focus for this year’s management team was the Tricolour Express. Since 2009, Trico-lour 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 Queen’s Community.


Hospitality ServicesCommon Ground Coffeehouse

Common Ground Coffeehouse was created in 2000 to serve the Queen’s student body by providing students with consistent products of high quality at reasonable prices. Unlike other on-campus food service provid-ers, 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 Ground’s 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 service’s 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 Queen’s tradition. The service is comprised of two establishments- Alfie’s Nightclub and the Queen’s Pub. Financially, TAPS experienced a successful year. At the Queen’s Pub, the construction of the new front section has tremendously increased sales. The expansion of the front sec-tion added ten more tables and approximately 40 more seats for patrons during the lunch and dinner rush-es. 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 Alfie’s, 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 Old-School 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 service’s 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 poten-tially hinder the service’s 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.


Queen’s Student Constables

The Queen’s 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 Queen’s students, while upholding AMS and University regulations. Student Constables can be found working at The Queen’s Pub, Alfie’s, Clark Hall Pub, athletic events, orientation events, semi-formals, and many other events at Queen’s University.

During the 2011-12 year the Queen’s Student Constables set out to improve their image, increase consisten-cy 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 Queen’s Student Constables created a service marketing plan. This plan included monthly Journal ads, promotional activities during Orientation Week and coverage by dif-ferent 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 Queen’s community. Overall, this year’s 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 differ-ent MOD’s were usually resolved by discussions with the Head Managers of these services, clearly delineat-ing their expectations of the service. Mandatory customer service training was a large part of the service this year. This drastically helped the im-age of QSC and made it more approachable to students. Improved customer service is an ongoing goal of QSC that will continue into future years.

Safety Services


Walkhome

Walkhome was created in 1988, and has since grown to become the most used safe walk program in Cana-da, providing safe walks home to all students at Queen’s. 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 mem-bers, and is the only safe walk service in Ontario that pays its staff members. Queen’s 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 orga-nization 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 Queen’s Cares; an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. In March, Walkhome held its second Walk-a-thon event and sur-passed the first event with 523 walks.

Additionally, one of Walkhome’s 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 Walkhome’s profile in the Queen’s 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.


Media Services

CFRC 101.9FMCFRC 101.9FM is Kingston, Ontario’s only campus-community radio station, broadcasting from Queen’s Uni-versity 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 CFRC’s programming is produced by more than 150 active volun-teers overseen and assisted by five paid staff. CFRC broadcasts Queen’s Gaels football, hockey and basketball games, as well as speeches given by honorary degree recipients and special guests at the University’s convo-cation 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 Queen’s University to the Alma Mater Society. In 2011-12 the AMS and CFRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding CFRC’s 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 Women’s Day and Aboriginal Awareness Week. CFRC also delivered three original Radio Residencies featuring two Radio Dramas, two Radio Art Pieces and two Radio Documen-taries. Other successes include strengthening our existing partnerships with local non-profits, music promot-ers 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 Com-munity Radio Conference and 90th anniversary. Going forward, CFRC will work diligently to meet these chal-lenges and to create a sustainable business model.


The Queen’s Journal The Journal’s mandate is to provide news relevant to Queen’s 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 Canada’s 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 Jour-nal’s 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 Journal’s proposed outdoor news display boxes were approved by Journal Board and the AMS Board of Directors. These boxes represent a new vision for the Journal’s distribution and will generate more visibility in both the University District and the rest of the Queen’s 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 Journal’s Administrative Assistant.

In 2011-12 the Journal managed to increase national, local, and online revenue, introducing mobile app rev-enue 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 Journal’s paper publication is still strong among advertisers. However, the growth of online revenue will continue to become more impor-tant 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 innova-tive ways to reach both students and the greater Kingston community with information that is important to them.


Media Services (cont’d)

Queen’s TV (QTV)

Queen’s TV is a student run television production service. With daily content at QueensTV.ca, a weekly tele-vision 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 experi-ence 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 Queen’s 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. Unfortunate-ly 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 Queen’s Athletics and Recreation to offer live webcasts of Queen’s Gaels sporting events. This project culminated in the broadcast of the three day, eleven game broadcast of the Men’s 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 man-ager. This new position was essential to the growth of QTV’s VideoFactory paid production services division. With these new sources in revenue, QTV’s 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 service’s history, the majority of the QTV’s revenue was not derived from student fees, which represented over 73% of the service’s 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 Queen’s Gaels sports continues to expand. All-in-all, QTV will continue to strengthen its business model while expanding service in the Queen’s community.


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 photogra-phy for the Queen’s 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 return-ing. Yearbook distribution also slowly tailed off over the course of the year. Expanding the operating struc-ture 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 distribu-tion procedures and continue fostering a sense of tradition within the Queen’s community.


FINANCIALS


48495052535455

Awards & BursariesFunds & Other OperationsFinancial Statement GuideBalance SheetStatement of OperationsStatement of Changes in Net AssetsSchedule of Internally Restricted Funds


AMS Awards and BursariesAlma Mater Society Accessibility Queen’s BursaryAn endowed fund established by the AMS in Septem-ber 2007 from funds accumulated in the Accessibility Queen’s Fund and awarded on the basis of financial need to students with disabilities who are registered with Queen’s Disability Services and who are not eligible for funding through the OSAP Bursary for Stu-dents with Disabilities. The bursary will help with the costs associated with adaptive technology, transpor-tation 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 BursaryAn 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 Queen’s. With 2011-2012 awards of $46,800 the capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $913,637 with a project-ed market value of $1,027,156 .

The Ida Mmari Scholarship for Refugee StudentsAn expendable fund established by students of Queen’s University in memory of Ida Mmari of Tan-zania, 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’ BursariesAn endowed fund established by the AMS and Arts and Science ’82, to assist disabled students attending Queen’s. 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 ProgrammeAn expendable fund established by resolution of the AMS Board of Directors in 1976 for the purpose of providing short-term loans to Queen’s Students. Funding derives from interest on capital held by the AMS and from interest earned on the loans to stu-

dents. As at April 30, 2012 , the income account bal-ance in the fund was $41,710 .

The AMS Native Student AwardsAn endowed fund established in 1990 by the AMS and awarded to native students entering first year in any faculty or school at Queen’s with preference given to undergraduate students. Selection is based on aca-demic 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 ProgrammeAn expendable fund established to cover the operating costs of a joint government/AMS sponsored program providing employment to financially constrained stu-dents. Funding for the programme from annual AMS student activity fees amounted to $75,443 in 2011-2012

AMS Sesquicentennial BursariesAn endowed fund established by the AMS in 1990. Bursaries are awarded to students in any faculty or school with preference to single parents with day-care 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

Queen’s International Student’s Association BursaryAn expendable fund established by the Queen’s Inter-national Students Association (an AMS Club). Funding is from annual AMS student activity fee donations. With 2011-2012 awards of $7625 the income account bal-ance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $2,763.

STRIVE Awards in Environmental StudiesAn expendable fund established by the AMS Commit-tee, “Students Taking Responsible Initiatives for a Viable Environment” (STRIVE), and awarded to any undergrad-uate student at queen’s 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.


AMS Funds and Other OperationsAccessibility Queen’s FundsThe Accessibility Queens’ Fund was created by ref-erendum in 1988 to support the capital needs of Queen’s community members with disabilities on campus. Accessibility Queen’s Committee directed expenses cover those arising from accessibility capital projects and also include annual ongoing accessibil-ity programs and services. The balance of this fund as at April 30, 2012 was $137,071.

Advantage FundThe 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 FundThe Health and Dental Plans Fund was created by the AMS Board of Directors in 2001 to provide account-ability and visibility of surpluses and deficits arising from the previous year’s 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 FundThe Student Centre Fund was established in 1991 to receive revenue from the AMS student centre activ-ity fee and from Services’ space cost allocations. The fund expenses included the AMS partnership por-tion of JDUC Council’s facility operations costs and in addition facility costs for MacGillivray-Grown Hall. Effective May 2011, the AMS, Queen’s University and The Society of Graduate and Professional Students entered into the Management and Operations Agree-ment 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.

Queen’s Centre FundThe AMS had entered into an agreement with Queen’s University which sets out the terms and conditions relating to the AMS’s financial commit-ment of $25.5 million to support the capital costs of the Queen’s Centre project. In 2012, Queen’s ac-knowledged 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 FundThe AMS entered into an agreement with Queen’s University and The Society of Graduate and Profes-sional Students as referred to above in the Student Centre Fund. This agreement requires the establish-ment of a capital and operating reserve in support of the Student Life Centre facility costs. There is a bal-ance of $106,872 in the fund as at April 30, 2012.

Special Project GrantsThe following is a list of recipients of the AMS Special Projects Grants from 2011-12. These grants are allo-cated by a subcommittee of the AMS Board of Direc-tors and is chaired by the Vice-President University Affairs.

• Queen’s Health Outreach: $2,000

• Queen’s Project on Int’l Development (QPID): $750

• Kinetiq Hip Hop Appreciation Club: $630

• Kingston’s Writer Festival: $4,000

• Queen’s Intl’l Development Conference: $1,000

• Queen’s Media and Journalism Conference: $1,000

• Queen’s Music Club: $4,000

• Ralph Nader Organizational Committee: $1,000


Financial Statement GuideINTRODUCTIONThe Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University Incorporated (“AMS”) prepares financial statements on an annual basis which are audited by an inde-pendent public accounting firm approved annually by Assembly. The financial statements are com-prised 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 account-ing policies and other explanatory information. Copies of the audited financial statements includ-ing 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 op-erations of the AMS. In addition, a brief synopsis of terms and definitions follow to assist in the under-standing of the financial statements and serve as a guide to the inexperienced reader.

AUDITOR’S REPORTAn Auditor’s Report is provided to the stakeholders of the AMS on completion of an audit by an inde-pendent public accounting firm. The current audi-tors of the AMS are KPMG LLP. The report describes both management’s responsibility and the auditor’s responsibility for the financial statements. An audit involves performing procedures, reviewing account-ing 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 POSITIONThe 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. As-sets are listed on a balance sheet in order of liquid-ity (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 op-erations) 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 de-creased) 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 Queen’s Fund, Advantage Fund,


money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queen’s 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 OPERATIONSThe statement of operations reports the results of op-erations, 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 major-ity 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 ASSETSThe statement of changes in net assets provides a continuity of the opening balance of each eq-uity component and the ending balance for the 12 months ended April 30th.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWSThe 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 invest-ment 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 STATEMENTSNotes to financial statements are additional informa-tion 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 AMS’s financial condition.

Financial Statement Guide


Financial Statement GuideINTRODUCTIONThe Alma Mater Society of Queen’s University Incorporated (“AMS”) prepares financial statements on an annual basis which are audited by an inde-pendent public accounting firm approved annually by Assembly. The financial statements are com-prised 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 account-ing policies and other explanatory information. Copies of the audited financial statements includ-ing 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 op-erations of the AMS. In addition, a brief synopsis of terms and definitions follow to assist in the under-standing of the financial statements and serve as a guide to the inexperienced reader.

AUDITOR’S REPORTAn Auditor’s Report is provided to the stakeholders of the AMS on completion of an audit by an inde-pendent public accounting firm. The current audi-tors of the AMS are KPMG LLP. The report describes both management’s responsibility and the auditor’s responsibility for the financial statements. An audit involves performing procedures, reviewing account-ing 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 POSITIONThe 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. As-sets are listed on a balance sheet in order of liquid-ity (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 op-erations) 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 de-creased) 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 Queen’s Fund, Advantage Fund,


money through projects outside normal operations (the Accessibility Queen’s 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 OPERATIONSThe statement of operations reports the results of op-erations, 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 major-ity 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 ASSETSThe statement of changes in net assets provides a continuity of the opening balance of each eq-uity component and the ending balance for the 12 months ended April 30th.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWSThe 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 invest-ment 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 STATEMENTSNotes to financial statements are additional informa-tion 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 AMS’s financial condition.

Financial Statement Guide


Financial StatementsTHE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED

Balance SheetApril 30, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

2012 2011

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

$ 421,7445,079, 351

21,331498,836155,900

26,4786, 203, 640

3,597,2513,213,287

383,964

41, 710$ 6,629,314

$ – 7,220,648

28,5761,226,994

168,92526,452

8,671,595

3,324,7643,038,539

286,225

41, 470$ 8,999,290

Liabilities and Net Assets

Current Liabilities Bank Indebtedness Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Funds held for Queen’s 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

21,51015,527

5812,171,494

383,964250,000

1,895,346653,144

1,275,3664,457,820

$ 6,629,314

$ 120, 8272,105,178

68, 93014,232

6202,309,787

286,225250,000

5,093,560–

1,059,7186,689,503

$ 8,999,290


Statement of OperationsTHE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED

Schedule of Service Revenues, Expenses and Interfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

2012 2011

Revenue

$ 168,2481,097,356

53,62021,772

491,023

334,986311,299

77,428224,626

1,547,1091,260,849

313,437

393,462

$ 6,295,215

Expenses

$ 184,6091,110,827

40,37723,656

444,253

328,854320,496

83,059248,321

1,551,2951,269,487

220,521

363,724

$ 6,189,479

CFRCCommon GroundCoffee HouseConvocation ServicesFood BankPublishing and CopyCentreQueen’s JournalQueen’s StudentConstablesQueen’s TV*Student Life CentreThe AMS Pub ServicesTricolour OutletYearbook & DesignServicesWalk-home Service

InterfundTransfers

$ – – – – – –

– – – – – – – –

–

$ –

NetContribution $ (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

$144,7861,036,032

54,04716,416

474, 899

325,623310,394

40,5522,013

1,503,9881,314,523

263,180

379,731

$ 5,866,184

Expenses

$163,1531,005,266

26,94415,433

383,061

280,215326,237

49,27344,118

1,440,7711,303,007

261,639

369,388

$ 5,668,505

InterfundTransfers

$ –56,667

–2,200

21,167

31,4172,000

3,183 –61,00060,083

8,542

2,600

$ 248,859

NetContribution

$ (18,367)(25,901)

27,103(1,217)70,671

13,991(17,843)

(11,904)(42,105)

$2,217(48,567)

(7,001)

7,743

$ (51,180)

Schedule of Other Corporate Revenues, Expenses and Interfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

AMS General OfficeBoard of DirectorsCommunications OfficeHuman Resources OfficeInformation TechnologyOfficeMarketing OfficeStudent Centre Office

Revenue

$1,871,420 –

51,13260,805

164,014

47,7151,345,197

$3,540,283

Expenses

$1,918,82547,16151,30859,026

159,147

42,8621,176,156

$3,454,485

InterfundTransfers

$ (99,000)(70,000)

– – –

–106,872

$ (62,128)

NetContribution

$ 51,595 22,839

(176)1,7794,867

4,85362,169

$147,926

Revenue

$ 1,786,984-

48,80962,901

148,350

30,519 –

$ 2,077,563

Expenses

1,891,92729,77846,47457,387

107,350

17,784 –

$ 2,150,701

InterfundTransfers

(126,167)(90,000)

– – –

– –

$ (216,167)

NetContribution $ 21,223

60,2222,3355,514

41,000

12,735 –

$ 143,029

2012 2011

*This figure combined the Queen’s Media and Journalism Conference with Queen’s TV. 2012-13 statements will be seperate.


THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATEDSchedule of Other Government Revenues, Expenses and Interfund Transfers

Year Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

Academic AffairsCommission

Assembly

Campus Activities Comission

Internal Affairs Commission

Municipal AffairsCommission

O.U.S.A

Social Issues Commission

SustainabilityCommission

Vice-President University Affairs

Revenue

$ 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

InterfundTransfers

$ -

(10,000)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(10,000)

NetContribution

$ 6,152

31,513

(34,236)

8,671

5,449

12,810

16,269

12,494

603

(59,725)

2012 2011

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

InterfundTransfers

-

-

-

-

-

--

-

-

$ -

NetContribution

$ 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 AssetsYear Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

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

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

Net Assetsinvested in

capital assets

$ 286,225

(174,749)

272,488

$ 383,964

Net Assetsinvested in

capital assets

$ 248, 485

(159,445)

197,185

$ 286, 225

Other reserves

$ 250,000

-

-

$ 250,000

Other reserves

$ 250,000

-

-

$ 250,000

Internallyrestricted

funds

$ 5,093,560

(3,198,214)

-

$ 1,895,346


funds

$ 2,896,236

2,197,324

-

$ 5,093,560

Operatingfund

$ 1,059,718

488,136

(272,488)

$ 1,275,366

Operatingfund

$ 1,049,468

207,435

(197,186)

$ 1,059,718

2011 Total

$ 6,689,503

(2,231,683)

-

$ 4,457,820

2010 Total

$ 4, 444, 189

2,245,314

-

$6,689,503

Statement of Operations (cont’d)

Externally restricted

funds

-

653,144

-

$ 653,144


funds

-

-

-

-


Statements of Restricted FundsTHE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED

Restricted FundsYear Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

2012 2011

Internally restricted Accessibility Queen`s Funds Advantage Fund Health and Dental Plans Fund Student Centre Fund Queen’s Centre

Externally restricted Queen’s Centre Student Life Centre

Total Restricted Funds

Revenue

$ 45,732(15,266)

2,292,735-

2,219,251

$ 4,542,452

--

-

$ 4,542,452

Expenses

$ 6,00071,076

2,157,07659,892

4,721,350

$ 7,015,394

--

-

$ 7,015,394

Interfund Transfer

$ 5,000

94,00080,000

-546,272

$ 725,272

$ (546,272)(106,872)

(653,144)

$ 72,128

Net Contribution

$ 34,732(180,342)

55,659(59,892)

(3,048,371)

$ (3,198,214)

$ 546,272106,872

653,144

$ (2,545,070)

$ 137,071205,384

1,063,021489,870

-

$ 1,895,346

$ 546,272106,872

$ 653, 144

Revenue

$ 55,092330,660

2,007,069440,105

2,023,632

$ 4,856,558

--

-

$ 4,856,558

Expenses

$ 30,52638,142

2,008,357614,901

-

$ 2,691,926

--

-

$ 2,691,926

Interfund Transfer

$ 5,000

94,00079,000

(210,692)-

$ (32,692)

--

-

$ (32,692)

Net Contribution

$ 19,566198,518(80,288)

35,8962,023,632

$ 2,197,324

--

-

$ 2,197,324

Schedule of Restricted Fund Revenue, Expenses and Inerfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2012, with comparative figures for 2011

Internally Restricted Funds Consist of the following:

Accessibility Queen`s FundsAdvantage FundHealth and Dental Plans FundStudent Centre FundQueen’s Centre

Externally restricted funds consist of the following:

Queen’s CentreStudent Life Centre

2012 2011$ 102, 339

385,7261,007,362

549,7623,048,371

$ 5,093,560

$ --

$ -

2012 2011


Your Society 2011-2012Executive

President

Morgan Campbell

Academic AffairsCommissioner

Mira Dineen

Retail ServicesDirector

Jeff Heenan

CommunicationsOfficer

Amanda Judd

Clubs Manager

Craig Draeger

General Manager

Annette Bergeron

Journal AdministrativeAssistant

Gabe King

The Publishing &Copy CentreHead Manager

Justin Brooks

Assistant ManagersLeah Macnamara Katherine StasiakEmily Steer

CFRC 101.9FMMusic ProgrammingManager

Kym Nacita

Spoken WordProgramming ManagerFraser MacPherson

Officers, Permanent Staff & Board of Directors

Council

Service Management

Vice-President(Operations)Ashley Eagan

Campus ActivitiesCommissioner

Stephen Pariser

Hospitality &Safety Services DirectorGracie Goad

Human ResourcesOfficer

Alex Miller

Judicial AffairsDirectorAlison Sproat

Information OfficerGreg McKellar

CFRC OperationsOfficer

Kristiana Clemens

Tricolour OutletHead Manager

Dayna Shoot

Assistant ManagersKait BabinHillary LandSteven BrooksAlexandrina Shan-non

Queen’s JournalEditor-in-Chiefs

Clare Clancy, Jake Edminston

Business Manager

Daniel Weinshenker

Vice-President(University Affairs)Kieran Slobodin

Commissioner of InternalAffairs

Mark Preston

Media ServicesDirector

Dan Szczepanek

Information TechnologyManager

Chris Whelan

Orientation RoundtableCoordinatorDmitri Tchebotarev

Retail Operations Officer

John McDiarmid

CFRC Business Manager

Irina Skvortsova

Common GroundHead Manager

Sam Guertin

Assistant ManagersBrittany BrewsterMackenzie GoodwinKeenan RandallJosie QuiBecky Rose

Queen’s TVExecutive ProducerEugene Michasiw

Business ManagerJames McArthur

Municipal Affairs Commissioner

David Sinkinson

Marketing Officer

Andrew Baldanza

Board of Directors ChairMitch Piper

Administrative AssistantNancy Warnica

The AMS Pub ServicesHead ManagerFay Yachetti

Assistant ManagersDaryoush Moezzi Jessica FlowerVince CastronovoMatt KellingEmma Nicholl Sarah KoopmanKelly Walter

Yearbook & DesignServicesHead ManagerAlvin Suen

Production ManagerHamza Bangash

Social Issues Commissioner

T.K. Pritchard

Student Centre Officer

Gillian Shields

Controller

Lyn Parry

Queen’s Student ConstablesHead ManagerWill Schwenger

Assistant ManagerNicholas Cole

Commissioner of the Envrionmentand SustainabilityAdam DiSimine

Accounting AssistantJanice Kirkpatrick

WalkhomeHead Manager

Lorin Adams


Commissioner of the Envrionmentand SustainabilityAdam DiSimine

Accounting AssistantJanice Kirkpatrick

WalkhomeHead Manager

Lorin Adams

Cha Gheill!

WWW.MYAMS.ORG

AMS Annual Report, 2011-12

Documents

assessing accounting principles

youth mentoring youth

reviewing accounting estimates

alma mater society

ultimately obtaining evidence

dental plans fund

sustainable business model

internally restricted funds