ams annual report, 2012-2013

Alma Mater Society2

Publication Credits

Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Kucharczuk

Thanks To : Eril Berkok Rico Garcia Greg McKellar Lyn Parry Annette Paul Nicola Plummer Thomas Pritchard Photos By: Greg Black 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 2012-2013

Editor’s Note

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) of Queen’s Universi-ty is one of the most engaged, vibrant, and active student governments in Canada. Representing the needs of over 15,500 students from a range of faculties and schools at Queen’s University, the AMS has a multi-million dollar annual operating budget 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 600 paid staff, who collectively have complete oversight of the Society’s activities. Included with-in this report are overviews of the operations and activities of all the commissions, offices, and corpo-rate services of the AMS, as well as explanations of the AMS’ governance structure, mission and man-date, 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.

Alma Mater Society4


Alma Mater SocietyAnnual Report 2012-2013

Alma Mater Society6

Table of Contents

082230384858

SocietyCommissionsOfficesServicesFinancialsSociety Directory 2012-2013


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 Student Executive Council

• 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 associat-ed 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.

Alma Mater Society8

SOCIETY


1011151820

Mission Statement & MandateBrief History of the AMSAMS AssemblyBoard of DirectorsThe AMS Executive

Alma Mater Society10

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, during 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, provid-ed 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 Committee). Previously this responsibility was held by the Senate under the Royal Charter that created 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 maintain order at student functions. Both of these essential 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 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 represen-tatives from all the faculty societies, was known as the Outer Council. Inner Council and Outer Council are now respectively known as Council and Assem-bly. The commission system continues to thrive today, albeit with many modifications from its original form. Chief among these modifications were the cre-ation of the Academic Affairs Commission in 1991 in order to house responsibility for both learning environment issues and external funding/tuition/student aid lobbying issues in one place; and the creation of the Municipal Affairs Commission in 1994 in recognition of the important and diverse nature of student interaction with the Kingston community. In the early 1990s, the focus of the Education Commission gradually shifted away from academic issues and towards a wide range of social justice and equity issues. This proved to be a lasting change and that commission has been renamed ‘Social Issues.’ In recognition of the growing con-cern among students regarding 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 Coffeehouse 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 divested 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 universi-ty

• 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 feder-ations has been limited. It has never been a mem-ber of the current Canadian Federation of Students, established in 1981, nor its predecessor, the Na-tional 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 over-see the John Deutsch University Centre, Macgilli-vray-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 15,500 students. It has grown to operate a wide range of retail, hospitality and media services employing over 600 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 de-cision-making body for the undergraduate student government at Queen’s University. It is comprised of roughly 40 representatives from the member societies, AMS Council, the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Rector, the Student Senate Caucus Chair, and the Undergraduate Trustee. The Assembly fulfils its mandate by debating reports, recommen-dations and motions as submitted by Council, the Faculty Societies, or any individual AMS member. It is constitutionally-empowered to direct the Executive, Council or Board of Directors as they carry out their duties consis-tent with the best interests of AMS members. All AMS members are welcome to attend the bi-weekly Assemblies and submit motions.

The 2012-13 Assembly was notable for a sig-nificantly increased attendance by members-at-large and their participation in Assembly debates. Most meetings were again held in Wallace Hall continuing the shift in location from the longstanding venue of McLaugh-lin Hall. In the fall term, the Assembly duly approved the goal plans and budgets for all Commissions and several amendments to AMS documents relating to volunteer, employee and hiring/appointment policies. Additionally, the Assembly approved the introduction of new club awards, new events grants, and improvements to the structure and operations of Orientation Roundtable. In recognizing the need to expedite and en-hance the efficiency of the process by which members are appointed to the large number of AMS standing and ad hoc committees, the Assembly established a new Nominating Committee which would henceforth handle the majority of this critically important fea-ture of representation. The Assembly also received and approved the new University

Student Fee Protocol, an important docu-ment that had received extensive AMS con-sultation in its preparation over roughly a three-year period.

In its second term, Assembly approved a constitutional amendment to its membership that recognized the historic amalgamation of the Main Campus Residence Council and Jean Royce Hall Council to form the Resi-dence Society. Assembly voted against a request by CFRC for an increase to its man-datory student activity fee, conducted an extensive debate on the future of Queen’s Model United Nations ultimately reaffirming its importance, and held discussions in the areas of student innovation and entrepre-neurship, eligibility for AMS elected positions, the purview of the non-academic discipline system and Assembly rules of order. In both semesters, the AMS elections team presented reports to Assembly with recommendations for future elections.

The most heated debates transpired as As-sembly revisited the constitutional ban on student membership in fraternities and soror-ities that had been in effect at Queen’s since 1934. In an AMS Executive-led initiative, the Assembly was presented with a variety of opinions derived from students, alumni, the University administration, and legal counsel. Ultimately, after extensive debate over sever-al meetings and both terms, the Constitution was amended on January 31st, 2013 to allow for student membership in such organiza-tions, while retaining its strong opposition to the presence of these organizations within the Queen’s community. The latter was re-inforced by the approval of Assembly of a separate representational policy delineating reasons for its unconditional disapproval of


AMS Assembly (cont’d)fraternities/sororities and a clear statement that the AMS would not fund, provide re-sources for, or otherwise support such orga-nizations.

Two Special Assembly meetings were called by President Doug Johnson in the second se-mester of 2012-2013. The first, on March 3rd, was required to respond to the unprecedent-ed resignation of a member of an incoming Executive team. After considerable debate, and in an overwhelming show of support, the Assembly approved the appointment of outgoing Commerce Society President Nicola Plummer as Vice-President (Operations) by a vote of 37-3. The meeting subsequently moved into closed session to discuss the re-appointment of Principal Woolf. The second Special Assembly, on April 17th, addressed the highly controversial decision by the Kingston City Council to create new electoral boundaries which were based on a popu-lation count that did not include students. Assembly gave the outgoing and incoming

Executives a mandate to file an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, subject to certain financial restrictions.

The AMS Annual General Meeting was once again held in Ban Righ Hall. There were no action items on the agenda and quorum was not reached. Notice to this effect was placed in the Journal.

AMS Assembly welcomed the following distinguished individuals as guest speakers: Principal Daniel Woolf, representatives from the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Kingston Mayor Mark Gerretsen, Professor Emeritus John Meisel, Former Speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken, Principal Emeritus Ronald Watts, Provost Alan Harrison, and University Librarian Martha Whitehead.

The Assembly enthusiastically appointed former Dean of Student Affairs Bob Crawford as Honorary President for 2012-13.


AMS Assembly (cont’d)

Alma Mater SocietyPresident Vice-President (Operations)Vice-President (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 SocietyPresidentVice-President (Student Develop-ment)4 Elected Representatives

Commerce SocietyPresidentVice-President (External)Vice-President (Internal)2 Elected Representatives

Arts & Science Undergraduate Society

PresidentVice-President8 Elected Representatives

Aesculapian SocietyPresident2 Elected Representatives

Computing Students’ AssociationPresident Vice-President (University Affairs)

Concurrent Education Students’ Association

President3 Elected Representatives

Physical & Health Education & Kinesiology Students’

AssociationPresidentVice-President (Operations)Vice-President (University Affairs)

MBA Student Executive CouncilPresidentVice-President

Main Campus Residents’ 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 Universi-ty Inc. Board of Directors is the body that has been entrusted to manage the affairs of the Corporation by its members. The Board has three main roles: a strategic management role, a financial role, and a support role. Operating under this umbrella, the Board of Directors ap-proved the services’ budgets and their respec-tive goal plans. Throughout the year, the Board and its committees monitored the financial and strategic progress of each of these services while using these documents as a base. In ad-dition to this, the Board approved a variety of capital expenditures deemed necessary for the long-term viability of AMS services. The big-gest impact the Board had, however, came via various structural changes and the addition/removal of services.

During this past year, the Board of Directors removed the position of General Manager and created the position of Executive Director, hiring Annette Paul at the beginning of the 2013-2014 fiscal year. CFRC had its last year as an AMS Service and continued its separation as agreed upon in the Memorandum of Un-derstanding that was signed in April of 2011 between both parties. The Board welcomed the Student Maintenance and Resource Team (SMART) in March of 2013. This housing main-tenance service initially started as a govern-ment service in the Municipal Affairs Commis-sion but is now considered a corporate service under the Retail Services portfolio.

The main outcomes from Board committees included the creation of a salary grid review by the Personnel Committee and the implemen-tation of a bonus for Student Constables upon the completion of their contract to increase retention.

The AMS had another successful year manag-ing the Student Life Centre. A new Facilities Officer position was created, and the JDUC was retiled. The Board is now looking forward to the renegotiation of the management and opera-tions agreement with Queen’s University and the SGPS.

The audited financial statements contained within this report illustrate the positive finan-cial foundation that has been established by previous managers and adequate support and oversight from the Board of Directors. It is the Board’s intention to see that this prudent financial management continues well into the future, keeping in mind that the AMS should not be acquiring surpluses year after year but rather should strive to give as much back to the students as possible.

In 2013-2014, there will be a heavy emphasis on creating Guiding Principles for the corpo-rate services while also completing the remu-neration review that was started in 2012. In addition, Board transitioning and policies will be revisted, making the Board an overall more efficient body moving forward. Finally, there will be a review of the AMS Specific Fee to determine if the fee will need to be adjusted for the years to come. The Board will continue to monitor the progress of the Corporation, keeping long-term objectives in mind; and it will strive to continue making decisions to best reflect the core values of the AMS as an institu-tion that serves students’ interests.


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 for a pe-riod of one year and are responsible for representing the interests of all AMS members and for the

day-to-day management of the Society.The Executive is elected annually during the winter term. The President is responsible for the external represen-tation 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 Officer of the Corporation and thus is responsible for the day-to-day management and supervision of its opera-tions. The President directly oversees the Communica-tions Officer, the Marketing Officer and the Information Technology Office.

The Vice-President (Operations) is responsible for all day-to-day operational and financial matters of the Society. The VP (Operations) oversees the three directors who su-pervise the retail, hospitality, safety, and media services of the AMS. The VP (Operations) also oversees the Human Resources Officer and the Student Centre Officer. Addi-tionally, they administer and facilitate student activity fees, the AMS Health & Dental Plan, the Bus-It program, and the consolidated budget for the Society.

The Vice-President (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 (Uni-versity Affairs) oversees the six commissions and serves as one of two Queen’s representatives, along with the Academic Affairs Commissioner, on the Ontario Under-graduate Student Alliance (OUSA) Steering Committee.

The 2012-13 Executive, President Doug Johnson, VPOPs Tristan Lee and VPUA Mira Dineen focussed their atten-tion on a wide variety of projects, engaging in advo-cacy in several critical areas and participating in initial discussions on enrolment planning, campus planning, renewal of the Management and Operations Agreement on student life space, student innovation and entre-preneurship, and the preparations for the announced return of Homecoming in fall 2013. As the Executive took office, they immediately confronted the need to con-tinue AMS efforts to resolve jurisdictional challenges to the responsibility for Non-Academic Discipline that has been exercised by the AMS for well over a century. This protracted process of negotiation successfully culminat-

ed in an agreement signed in September by the AMS President and Principal Daniel Woolf. The agreement recognized a number of areas where improvements and enhancements could be implemented and identified areas for future cooperation. However, the essence of the document rests in its reaffirmation and acknowledgement of the inherent value and efficacy of the AMS non-academic discipline system and its unequivocal support for the philosophy underlying peer administered discipline.

Within the broader campus context of growing con-cern for ensuring the availability of adequate resourc-es for mental health issues, the Executive undertook a comprehensive review of the AMS Peer Support Cen-tre (PSC). Conducted with the invaluable assistance of Mike Condra, Director for Queen’s Health, Counselling and Disability Services, the review led to a number of improvements in the areas of operations, training and structure. Recognizing the limits of student expertise in the field of mental health care, the review also re-sulted in the establishment of an advisory committee comprised of mental health professionals and AMS personnel with administrative responsibilities with respect to the PSC. The committee was designed not to intervene in operational details but to advise on issues related to legalities, liabilities, essential prac-tices/protocols and the safety and quality of service of the Centre. Also noteworthy was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the PSC/AMS and the Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services to provide assistance in lim-ited crisis situations. Collectively, these measures are expected to better position the PSC to assist students in this challenging area of university life.

In an effort to address issues related to space limita-tions on campus, the Executive engaged in a deter-mined effort to have the closed Physical Education Centre(PEC) reopened and assigned usage. This lobbying initiative proved highly successful when the PEC was indeed reopened to be used for intramural sports and holding examinations. The Executive was also extensively involved with the University’s Alcohol


AMS ExecutiveWorking Group and its various subcommittees. Ulti-mately, this participation led to a renegotiated Campus Alcohol Policy and was essential to ensure that, wherev-er possible, the policy considered student and campus pub concerns and priorities.

Perhaps the year’s most controversial undertaking was the decision by the Executive to undertake a com-prehensive and arguably long overdue review of the AMS ban on student membership in fraternities and sororities, a ban that had been in effect since 1934. This decision inevitably invited strongly-held opinions and discussion from across the Queen’s community includ-ing many interested alumni. The Executive prepared an information package that presented a detailed history of the issue, a wide array of perspectives and solicit-ed legal advice. After extensive Assembly debate that began in late November and concluded in late Janu-ary, the Assembly eventually approved the Executive’s proposed constitutional amendment to remove the ban, thereby acknowledging the legal right of students to enjoy membership in organizations off-campus of their own choosing. Importantly, however, the constitutional amendment retained a strong statement of opposition to the presence within the Queen’s University communi-ty of fraternities and sororities and explicitly stated that no such organization shall be recognized by the Society or the University or be affiliated with either. Moreover, the amendment stated that no such organization shall be eligible to receive or otherwise access any of the Society’s resources including, but not limited to, fund-ing and the use of University facilities/campus space for meetings and publicity.

The Executive further strengthened the Society’s view on this issue by introducing its first policy in this area, separate from the constitutional provisions. Resulting from these efforts, it is now the position of the Soci-ety that the entire student body in effect constitutes a single community in and of itself. When students choose to define themselves in subsets of that community, it should be based on participation in academic, athletic and extracurricular pursuits within the tradition of the Queen’s University experience. External organizations are considered exclusionary in membership and would ultimately create subcultures that are not only unac-countable to the University or the AMS but would de-velop values that are frequently contrary to the Queen’s spirit and tradition.

Internally, the Executive was faced with the challeng-ing task of replacing two members of the AMS perma-nent staff to better position the organization in the coming years. With the departure of the AMS General Manager in February, the Executive undertook a full review of that position’s job description, ultimately expanding the responsibilities and changing the title to Executive Director. After a thorough recruitment process, the Executive was delighted to announce the hiring of former AMS Vice-President of University Af-fairs (1996-97) Annette Paul as the first AMS Executive Director. Another extensive recruitment and hiring process was also conducted to hire a new Facilities Of-ficer, a position with significant responsibilities in the operations of the student life facilities overseen by the AMS. The Executive was equally delighted to welcome Wilf Johnston to the AMS permanent staff team. An-other significant internal change involved the decision to convert the fledgling Student Maintenance and Resource Team (SMART) from an operation under the Municipal Affairs Commission to a corporate service under the Retail Services Director.


COMMISSIONS


242526272829

Academic Affairs Campus Activities Internal AffairsMunicipal Affairs Social Issues Environment and Sustainability


Academic Affairs CommissionThe Academic Affairs Commission (AAC) was creat-ed in 1991 when its functions were separated from the Education Commission, which was renamed the Social Issues Commission in 1996. The AAC is responsible for educating students on relevant post-secondary issues, advocating on behalf of stu-dents both internally and externally, and facilitat-ing student needs through our various committees, coordinators, and services.

The 2012-2013 year was a challenging time for the AAC with numerous provincial develop-ments throughout the year and a large focus on post-secondary education in the media and public consciousness. The AAC balanced provincial and institutional academic concerns. Early summer be-gan with a series of provincial consultations on the future of post-secondary education in Ontario. At the behest of the Ministry, Queen’s developed a se-ries of Strategic Mandate Agreements that helped guide the future of the University. Ramifications of this process included shortening time to complete Masters and Post-Graduate programs, instituting Diploma and Certificate Programs and increasing enrolment.

The shifting provincial context and three different Ministers of Training, Colleges, and Universities meant uncertainty in the provincial context. The

new tuition framework announced at the end of March capped institutional tuition increases at an average of 3%. Although the provincial lobbying group, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) and the AAC had advocated for a tuition freeze (with further increases to be tied to inflation), the cap itself represents progress on the tuition question. Furthermore, the multi-year nature of the cap allows institutions and students predictability over fees for the next three years.

Institutionally, the AAC worked to reinstate a pol-icy on undergraduate teaching assistants, ensure the validation of all student cards and oppose tuition-related ancillary fees. The GPA Review Com-mittee concluded with the Senate Committee on Academic Procedures voting to reintroduce per-centages on transcripts. The Academic Grievance Centre –relocated to JDUC Room 218 – handled a widely increased caseload, with a PSYC 300 case highlighting the importance of student advocacy. AAC Committees such as the Teaching Awards Com-mittee celebrated monumental successes, with over 450 students nominating outstanding teachers and TAs. Additionally, the AAC Special Projects Deputy teamed with ASUS Lost Paws to organize “Critters on Campus” thereby launching the highest attend-ed animal on campus event in Canada.


Campus Activities CommissionThe Campus Activities Commission (CAC) is the oldest commission in the AMS. Its purpose is to enhance student life at Queen’s by facilitating events and programs that create a vibrant atmosphere on campus. Over 140 volunteers work within the CAC to run its core events, which range from formal conferences to arts festivals and sports competitions. The CAC also oversees the Orientation Roundtable (ORT), a group that coordinates all of the Orientation Week activities at Queen’s. Furthermore, the Commission acts as a resource for other students planning events on campus to ensure a wide range of opportunities are offered.

The CAC had a positive year in 2012-2013, with many improvements made on past practices. Several internal processes were formalized to be more accessible and transparent. The CAC Bursary was incorporated into the marketing of opportunities within the Commission in order to ensure that cost would not be a deterrent for potential participants and an application form was created to replace the less formal emails used in the past. Similarly, an application form was created and promoted for Crest Painting on campus. Stakeholders including Physical Plant Services and Queen’s Trademark Licensing were consulted in this process to ensure the system’s efficiency.

The CAC was also able to enhance its resources for other event planners on campus. Most notably, a New Events Grant was established in the fall. This grant, to be awarded in two instalments each year in an amount determined by the Commissioner, supports students with ideas for new events on campus who need assis-tance getting started. The great diversity and quality of applications for the grant in its pilot year suggest that it will be a valuable resource for students moving forward. Each of the CAC’s internal committees met their mandates and ran successful events. In order to be more responsive to participants’ experiences with the CAC, a set of Event Evaluation surveys was created and sent out after each event. The responses will be used to make improvements to the CAC’s core offerings, through either adjustments to programming or the replacement of unpopular events with new ones.

The ORT oversaw a successful Orientation Week in 2012, but faced difficulties reconciling finances and re-ports after the week concluded. The ORT team for 2013 was hired in November, and has learned from these challenges, implementing sound practices for following years. Budget templates for all of the CAC’s Orienta-tion groups, including ORT, were re-designed to accurately reflect the fiscal year in which funds were spent. ORT also worked with Queen’s ITS to move their Event Forms online, which has been a great improvement on the previous paper system.

Overall, the CAC has become more transparent and flexible in its operations, and is well placed to address the interests of Queen’s students in future years.


Commission of Internal AffairsThe Commission of Internal Affairs (CIA) oversees matters relating to the internal operations of the AMS Assembly, the student-run Non-Academic Discipline system which includes both the Judicial Affairs Office (JAD) and the Judicial Committee, elections and referenda, and the administration of over 250 clubs and extracurricular organizations. The JAD processed over 60 cases through the course of the year. In an effort to be as restorative as possible, the Office began reducing the amount of monetary sanctions given to students and increased the number of educational sanc-tions. The latter included, but was not limited to, workshops and essays. A major focus for the entire year lay in craft-ing a response to the University’s review of Non-Academic Discipline (NAD), researching ways to implement a group discipline system, and creating a university-wide internal discipline database. Strongly supported by the AMS Exec-utive, the Commissioner and the Judicial Affairs Director attended a large number of meetings with senior Queen’s administrators on this issue, standing steadfast on their insistence of the retention of a genuine peer-based system. A joint memo was eventually signed between the AMS and Principal Woolf, that reaffirmed University support but which also identified changes to be implemented in the NAD system to improve efficiency and accountability. Some of these changes included a 60-day case deadline, methods to increase awareness in the Kingston community, and placing fines directly on SOLUS student accounts. Additionally, a campus wide campaign was launched against malicious blue light activations, designed to create awareness of the risks associated with diverting campus security resources in the absence of an actual emergency. A policy on NAD not handling cases involving weapons was put forward to Assem-bly, and although tabled due to time constraints, it is expected to be approved in September 2013.

The Clubs team worked tirelessly to provide continuous support for the growing number of on-campus clubs which by year’s end totaled roughly 270. The fall and winter Club Night events were a great success, with high student and club turnout. Additionally, the Clubs Manager implemented new policies and procedures that created a number of club awards designed to recognize AMS clubs that had a positive impact on the Queen’s community. In April, it was announced that there were 17 groups that received one of the inaugural awards. There were also an unprecedented number of applications for fall and winter club grants, as well as for space allocation in the Student Life Center. This was the fourth year of the salaried Clubs Manager working out of the CIA Office, and this arrangement continued to prove effective.

The AMS Elections Team demonstrated great commitment, teamwork, and character, particularly in the winter elec-tions in the absence of the Commissioner of Internal Affairs and Assembly-elected Chief Electoral Officer, who both took leaves of absence to run as candidates in the winter elections. To address these challenges, the Elections Team hired new deputies and Assembly elected an interim CEO. Together they worked effectively to provide students and organizations with the necessary resources, information, and administrative support to ensure the facilitation of a successful election period. In addition to the large number of student fee questions appearing on both referenda, the winter term brought a three-team campaign in the AMS Executive election and the election of a new Undergraduate Student Trustee.


Municipal Affairs Commission

In terms of the number of volunteers, the Municipal Affairs Commission (MAC) remains the largest of the six AMS Commissions. Since 1994, the MAC has been an active voice in the community and has lobbied Kingston City Council on behalf of Queen’s students on a wide range of issues including property standards, safety, student civic engagement and Homecoming. The Commission is integrally involved in a host of town-gown relations bodies looking at issues facing students in the University District and their neighbours. The Commission placed an increased focus on advocacy this year for town-gown relations issues. This was supported by the service component of the Commission that directly affects students and the community.

Some of the initiatives that began in 2011-2012 took root and had a greater impact during the 2012-2013 year which greatly contributed to the overall success of the Commission. Importantly, these initiatives were widely recognized by community stakeholders as a positive step in town-gown relations. None had more of a positive effect than the launching of the Student Maintenance and Resource Team (SMART) which pro-vided contract work for landlords and clean-up services throughout the University District. This new AMS service operated under the MAC with one full-time head manager and 8 service staff. Approximately 70 properties were serviced by SMART during the year. At the end of the year, it was decided that SMART would be converted to an AMS corporate service, and transferred to the Retail Services Director portfolio.

Another notable initiative was the implementation of a University District Safety Audit in coordination with Campus Security. Both students and members of Campus Security went through the University District to identify safety concerns in the area and pass along collected information to the appropriate body or agen-cy. This initiative was supported by the Campus Safety Working Group and was coupled with the launch of SeQure, the new student safety app which provides safety resources to students on their smartphone.The Commission was involved in a variety of projects relating to student innovation/entrepreneurship, and had the opportunity to experience the innovation ecosystem in Boston and the potential development of one in Kingston. There was also the creation of the Community Opportunities Facilitator position which was a joint position with KEDCO, which generously provided an honorarium.

On the housing front, AMS Assembly created a Housing Grievance Centre under the MAC to provide confi-dential, non-legal advice to students on housing issues. The Centre will also be equipped with an Advisory Board composed of University, City and AMS officials.


Social Issues CommissionThe AMS Social Issues Commission (SIC), previously known as the Education Commission until 1996, was created in 1969. The mandate of the SIC is to educate and advocate on issues of equity and oppression at Queen’s through educational and awareness-based events, providing resources, and providing a safe space for our students. In 2012-2013, the main focus of the SIC was mental health, specifically the Peer Support Centre, the Mental Health Awareness Committee and the Principal’s Commission on Mental Health.

The commission’s largest undertaking this year was an overhaul of the Peer Support Centre to ensure its safety and effectiveness. The philosophies, mandate and vision of the Centre were evaluated, and through discussions with Dr. Mike Condra and Hagar Prah from Health, Counselling and Disability Services, the SIC re-vised the training content and schedule, management structure, and the emergency procedures manual of the Centre. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Peer Support Centre and Frontenac Community Mental Health and Addiction Services.

At the end of June 2012, the Principal’s Commission on Mental Health released a draft report of its recom-mendations on mental health issues at Queen’s. In response, the SIC consulted with students throughout September and this feedback was incorporated into the AMS lobbying priorities moving forward. One of the greatest success stories of the SIC was the Mental Health Awareness Committee, which established a Resi-dence Outreach program. Its Anti-Stigma Workshops received the 2012 Human Rights Initiatives Award.

Financially, most of the committees and both services came in close to their budgets. The Mental Health Awareness Committee received a grant from the University which allowed them to host large scale events. Publications stayed on track with their budget, whereas in past years they have been anywhere between $1,000 - $3,000 over budget. The sole exception was ABLE which went slightly over budget due to an in-crease in the number of submissions. Due to unexpected circumstances, the Education on Gender Issues and Committee Against Racial and Ethnic Discrimination came in dramatically under budget.

The Commission allocated Equity Grants to several groups that demonstrated a genuine commitment to equity on campus. Queen’s Women in Science and Engineering received $500, the Campus Association for Baha’i Studies received $110, and the Sexual Health Resource Centre received $1700. The Commission also allocated Accessibility Queen’s Grants to several groups that demonstrated a commitment to improving accessibility on Queen’s campus. Invisabilities received $1550, the Accessibility Hub Working Group received $3,780, and the Adaptive Technology Centre received 22,706.65.


Commission of the Environment and Sustainability

The Commission of the Environment and Sustainability (CES) aims to create a culture of sustainability and environmental consciousness in the undergraduate community as well as in the wider Queen’s community. The CES organizes awareness programs on sustainability issues, offering concrete services and events where students can engage in sustainable practices on campus, and works with the administration to help shape the university’s practices and policies. This was the Commission’s second full year, having evolved from the Sustainability Office which began in 2006, and it was a very successful year both with existing programming and with the addition of new initiatives. In addition to completing home retrofits in both the Fall and Win-ter, and running a successful light bulb exchange, Greenovations grew its programming by running a do-it-yourself home retrofit workshop. The CES created stickers informing students to turn off their lights, and implemented a successful fundraising initiative that encouraged painting old light bulbs and reusing them as holiday ornaments. The Bike Shop’s popularity on campus continued to grow and it appears that most students are now aware of both its existence and location. Additionally, a second office space for the shop was secured, and it established a more transparent and useful sales system, facilitating interactions between staff and customers.

Active transportation was a major focus for the Commission this year, and a good discussion on campus has been started with Kingston hosting its first Bike Summit on campus. A biking habits survey was conducted by the AMS, instructive suggestions were offered to assist those students wish to bike, and a working group was established with the City, SLC and KFL&A public health to determine the feasibility of implementing a bike share program in Kingston. The Sustainability Action Fund saw its most successful year to date, with a record number of applicants and grants totalling close to $22,000. Finally, GreenFest was a great success, bringing together multiple sustainability groups and initiating a discussion about sustainability on campus.

The Commission also faced its share of challenges this year. The City Council’s one garbage bag policy was passed despite protests and alternatives proposed by the AMS, and it negatively impacted students with the result that students simply purchased more bag tags than before. Youth Mentoring Youth faced an insur-mountable challenge with the school board strike, as teachers were unwilling to bring their classes to cam-pus to take part in the program. The committee did manage to run a small program for a private school class, but will return to the public school board next year. Finally, difficulty communicating with external partners led to the delay or cancellation of some planned programming, including community garden installations and cooking workshops.

The CES managed to cut 10% from its budgeted amount at the beginning of the year without negatively impacting any programming. The Commission stayed very stringent with its expenses all year, and ended slightly under budget at the end of the year. Overall, it was an extremely successful year for the CES, and many foundations have been set for the following years to expand on this success.


OFFICES


3233343536

CommunicationsMarketingInformation TechnologyHuman ResourcesStudent Centre


Communications OfficeThe Communications Office (CO) aimed to build on the strong foundation created by the 2011/12 year. By leveraging the AMS’ strong visual identity and ability to reach broad sections of the student popu-lation, the 2012/13 CO focused on two main communication objectives. Firstly, it focused on creating a ‘voice’ for the Society that could be both professional and casual, meaning that students could better relate to the Society and would be more receptive to its messaging. Secondly, it worked to enhance and strengthen the AMS’ digital communication channels, investing in several new platforms and experi-menting with others to better communicate with students.

The CO put a large focus on creating content that would interest and engage students, while further enhancing the Society’s brand. This culminated in a strategy that saw much more relatable, original con-tent being created, often in the form of memes or humourous tweets. The goal of the content was to be genuine, and not be overly positive or negative.

As a means of distributing more original content in a way that would allow for more customization, the CO developed and programmed a new sub-domain to host the AMS Blog. The blog was well-used, but lacked some necessary features. Specifically, it was not built for social sharing and lacked strong visuals. The new blog became a big part of the CO’s communication plan, as it was both mobile friendly and highly sharable. By the end of the year, the traffic from the new blog had led to an overall 15% increase in AMS web traffic. Additionally, the focus on original content and on relating to students led to a 110% increase in Facebook fans and Twitter followers, meaning the Society could better connect with students in the future.

Another big part of the CO’s work in the 2012/13 year was modernizing the monthly President’s News-letter. Until this year, the newsletter had been little more than a rich-text document. The CO worked to create a flexible HTML template that would necessarily limit the number of items that could be included in the newsletter while making the entire format much more visual, clean, and minimal. Furthermore, the use of an HTML newsletter let the CO track which aspects of the newsletter were getting the most atten-tion, and which links students most often clicked on, thus letting the CO optimize future newsletters.

A final and important aspect of the CO’s work in 2012/13 was a focus on quantitative decision making, via enhanced analytics. By using Google Analytics to track not only the number of visitors to a site, but the way in which they interacted with the page, what they clicked on, and so forth, the CO was able to optimize AMS digital initiatives.


The AMS Marketing Office exists to facilitate communication between the AMS and its stu-dent constituents through brand management, market research, and advertising. The Marketing Office undertakes market research initiatives to gauge student preference and opinion. Further-more, the Marketing Office works with the Com-munications Office to enforce the AMS Visual Identity Standards (VIS), ensuring that all materi-als produced by the AMS and its affiliate organi-zations conform to certain standards of the AMS brand. Largely a support office, Marketing also assists AMS subsidiaries in the development, co-ordination and execution of their advertising and promotional campaigns, as well as conducting marketing campaigns independently to publi-cize the AMS brand as a whole with the intent of engaging students.

In its third year of operation and second year as a 12-month full time position, the Marketing Office is still young, but maturing. The Marketing Office was created to alleviate some of the Communi-cations Office duties and explore new marketing opportunities. Towards this end, the Marketing Office has further developed its role with regards to four key concepts: Market Research & AMS Market/Value Positioning (the “value proposition”

of the AMS to the student body); AMS Product/Service Awareness, Promotions & Special Proj-ects; Brand management, VIS & Marketing Cau-cus and campus recruitment.

The 2012-2013 Marketing Office worked closely with AMS subsidiary groups, serving as a consul-tative resource to develop efficient marketing and outreach campaigns and visually appealing promotional material. Visual consistency and graphic design was an important aspect of this year’s portfolio. Alongside the Communications Office, the Marketing Office released several infographics to visually represent the informa-tion that the AMS communicates to students. It increased content engagement, resonating with students while also staying true to the VIS. The Marketing Office also expanded upon previous market research by conducting several student wide surveys assessing: brand recognition, stu-dent service use, bike habits and also conducted additional feedback surveys following campus events. The Marketing Office is expected to con-tinue to build on this year’s successes, and will emphasize the office’s role in facilitating consis-tent marketing within and across the commis-sions.

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 aspects of AMS activity are dependent. The AMS IT Office operated with fewer staff than planned, but nevertheless remained effective.

The office oversaw the launch of the AMS Apply application, a way for students to apply online to positions throughout the AMS. This project was a significant success and streamlined the hiring process while eliminating much of the paper-work. In addition, the development environment was migrated to Windows in order to allow IT Ser-vices to support the development process better and improve security and performance.

Efforts were directed towards finalizing a service agreement with Queen’s IT Services to ensure that the AMS receives the quality of service nec-essary to remain in peak operating condition. It is anticipated that this agreement will allow the AMS to better utilize the resources available at

Queen’s IT Services while reducing overall expen-diture on IT with a larger focus on support for learning. This will allow the IT Office to be better equipped to perform their duties and to enhance its capacity to ensure that the AMS operates smoothly.

The AV Rental service underwent a re-branding and a position was created to specifically focus on how to alter the service to better benefit students. Marketing projects and plans to expand the inventory were also initiated.

The structure of the IT Office has been changed to improve internal operations with the dissolv-ing of the Technology Lead position and the creation of the AV Rental Supervisor position. The IT Manager position is expected to combine the work of the Technology Lead and the IT Manager since there was overlap in the positions. Further-more, the AV Rental Supervisor will allow the work of the IT Manager to remain focused on IT.


Human Resources OfficeThe Human Resources Office (HRO) serves as a support for both the corporate and government branches of the AMS. In its eleven years of oper-ation, this office has facilitated the recruitment, hiring, training, appreciation, development and record keeping for all salaried positions, wage positions, and volunteers. The Human Resourc-es Office works closely with all AMS managers through HR Caucus to ensure that discipline, hir-ing, and appreciation practices across the services are universal and fair to all AMS employees. This Office also coordinates with the Communications and Marketing Offices to advertise AMS hiring deadlines, promote involvement and demon-strate public appreciation to the amazing staff and volunteers that are essential to the function-ing of the AMS.

This year the office, in conjunction with the Com-munications and Marketing Office, was able to expand upon its hiring and recruitment practices. This was made possible by the presence of anoth-er salaried position in the office – the Opportuni-ties and Outreach Coordinator. All promotional material was refined, job descriptions were cre-ated for every AMS position, and a 40 page full-time opportunities lookbook was designed. The AMS participated and hosted job fairs, and also reached out to students through various online forums. Aided by the first extensive analysis of hiring demographics in eleven years, which was completed by the HRO’s First Year Interns, next year’s team is positioned to further develop re-cruitment practices through data research.

In fall 2012, the AMS saw a 25% increase in appli-cations and during the winter semester, the AMS saw a 19% increase in applications. Additionally, the online application system, AMS Apply, was launched in January, moving the hiring process entirely online. Created by the AMS IT Office, the system will reduce the AMS’ environmental im-

pact by saving upwards of 15,000 pieces of paper a year. Moreover, the system has contributed to increased accessibility, confidentiality and effi-ciency.

The HRO worked closely with supervisors to ensure that HR practices remained universal and fair. HR Caucus – a forum to discuss HR for cor-porate services – was expanded to include those who oversaw volunteers, thus strengthening HR practices across the Society. All training sessions included training manuals, and evaluations were revised to make them more comprehensive. They were also expanded to include senior volunteers for accountability. Pan-AMS appreciation, as overseen by the HR Deputy, consistently recog-nized those who contributed to the Society, and expanded to include the Employee of the Month program. Additionally, a report was written about corporate hiring practices and new hiring policy was passed regarding the pre-selection of service staff.

Other notable major projects included participat-ing in the Personnel Committee’s Remuneration Review of all salaried staff, analyzing the Health and Wellness of full-time employees of the AMS in an effort to provide more support, developing an AODA framework for the Society, and cementing the structure of the AMS First Year Program.


Student Centre Office The Student Life Centre Office is responsible for management and operations of the several campus buildings encompassing the Student Life Centre (SLC) and many of the services therein. The SLC includes the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC), Queen’s Centre (QC), MacGilli-vray-Brown Hall, and 51 Bader Lane (the Grey House). These facilities are dedicated to enhanc-ing the quality of student and campus life at Queen’s University by providing exclusive space for societies and clubs, bookable spaces for meetings and performances, and public spaces for a wide range of student and community uses.

The 2012-2013 year marked the second year of the Student Life Centre under the management of the AMS through the Management & Oper-ations Agreement signed with Queen’s and the Society of Graduate and Professional Studies (SGPS). The Student Centre Office continued to develop the services provided to students and the community through a number of new ini-tiatives. Prior to the beginning of the academic year, a project was undertaken to establish a new online presence for the SLC. A brand new website was created to serve as an easily ac-cessible repository for information and policies while a renewed social media focus helped to lead students to the resources offered there. A new online room reservation system was imple-mented alongside the website enabling greater ease of use for student groups to reserve spaces for meetings and events. The new system also allowed booking requests to be processed much more easily and quickly. Overall, turnaround time with the new system decreased from about a week to just one or two days, and the total num-ber of reservations made through the system doubled that of previous years.

An agreement was made with Queen’s Athletics & Recreation for the regular use of the MacGilli-vray-Brown Hall gymnasium. For four days each

week, the gym was leased to Athletics for intra-mural sport activities and regular meetings and practices of athletic clubs. Additionally, an agree-ment was reached between the AMS and SGPS establishing a policy for the allocation of shared space in the Grey House, an issue which had re-mained unresolved throughout 2011-2012.

During the fall and winter, a major renovation project took place in the JDUC. Aging and mis-matched sections of flooring in the JDUC com-mon areas on the ground and first floor were re-placed with a new uniform tile. The material and colour palette was chosen to improve brightness in the building and to draw a subtle parallel with the floors in the nearby Queen’s Centre. Several other projects were undertaken to reinforce the links between the buildings, including inter-nal signage promoting the Student Life Centre brand.

During the spring, the AMS announced the hiring of Wilf Johnston as a new permanent staff mem-ber for the modified Facilities Officer position which had been left vacant since September. Concurrently, negotiations began on the renew-al of the Management & Operations Agreement, a process intended to enhance and extend AMS management.


SERVICES


40414244

RetailHospitalitySafetyMedia


Retail ServicesPublishing & Copy CentreThe P&CC underwent major renovations to alter and refresh the physical layout of the store. This resulted in increased storage space and a layout better designed to handle larger scale production jobs and print orders. A new color printer was also purchased increasing colour sales by 37% while simultaneously decreasing costs by 33%. The service also secured a freeze on all click rates (the per output service charge paid on all digital presses) for two years on all older equipment and three years on the two newest digital presses. This has en-abled further cost reductions across all equipment.

This year brought uncertainty regarding course packs until early July as a result of the new Access Copyright license which Queen’s chose to reject. Therefore, the P&CC continued to operate in a fashion similar to pre-vious years. For the last two years, the P&CC was unable to solicit the same number of course packs for sale. Reasons for this include the uncertainty that professors also faced in regards to how they would be produc-ing course packs over the summer, in addition to an increased presence of digital materials made available for classes through portals such as Moodle and independent course websites. As a result, the P&CC continued to improve the awareness of the variety of products and services that it could offer to organizations, clubs, and new students in order to offset the decreased revenue from the production of course packs. There is still some uncertainty moving forward in terms of copyright licensing based on the most recent amendments which will take effect April 30th 2013.

Overall, the P&CC tried to streamline and focus the services of the store in a way in which customers would be more knowledgeable of the many services offered. Through the implementation of simpler instructions on all equipment and upgraded software, it effectively addressed various longstanding issues. All of the worksta-tions are now Windows 7 environments and the P&CC will continue to work with OT Group, the AMS ITO, and service staff to further simplify the customer experience.

Tricolour Outlet

Tricolour Outlet (TRO) underwent a transformation in its physical interior, inventory, operations and presenta-tion to the student body. Throughout the summer, the store space undertook a series of renovations to better serve students, while the operations and inventory were completely reviewed to provide a fresh, new look for the service. Increased efficiency in service during peak seasons (September and January) resulted in higher sales and consistent foot traffic throughout the store over the course of the year. Across the board, sales were up from previous years. An enhanced presence in social media following indicates that students are aware of, and utilizing, the services provided by Tricolour Outlet more and more.

The seasonality of the business remains a challenge. TRO is constantly learning how to better cope during peak periods, and even more so how to keep the student body engaged throughout the remainder of the year. Typically there have been struggles associated with the outdated POS system that is finally being re-placed. This will present a challenge for the incoming team to adjust to a new system but will ultimately pro-vide a more stable infrastructure for the service to rely on. TRO’s contract with Coach Canada is in the process of being renegotiated.

TRO is a service that continually requires teams to think outside of the box, challenge what is currently accept-ed, and strive for bold new ways to capture students’ attention. There is still much room for growth within this service and refinement in its operations. After experiencing a year of high volume, next year should be able to better prepare and execute over the course of the year to continue TRO on its upwards trajectory.


Hospitality Services

Common Ground Coffeehouse

Common Ground was created in 2000 as a student service to offer consistent food and beverages at a rea-sonable price in a welcoming atmosphere. Being fully student-run allows CoGro to provide a unique service on campus that is quite different from its many competitors.

This was CoGro’s third full year in the Queen’s Centre, and it worked towards better defining the service in this location. With a major focus on increasing efficiency through staff training and discipline, as well as building a strong management team, the service operated much more smoothly over the course of the year. By increasing margins the service has become more profitable, however sales have decreased since last year due to an overwhelming amount of competition on campus. CoGro Express and premade food have been marketed as faster options to decrease wait time for customers.

Although the 2012-2013 budgeted surplus was not attained, there are a number of improvements and suggestions to better the service for 2013-2014. Product line and price adjustments as well as attempts to decrease wages should have a positive influence on the future of the service.

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. The service consists of two separate establishments – Alfie’s Nightclub, established in 1976 and the Queen’s Pub (QP), established in 1977. Financially, TAPS experi-enced a significant downturn in overall sales from the previous five years which can be entirely attributed to the poor attendance experienced at Alfie’s.

Continuing to rely primarily on a theme night approach, Alfie’s enjoyed a significant success in converting its Old School Hip Hop to a Throwback theme. However, the remainder of nights generated little support and its country themed Hoe-Down night was eliminated entirely. By the end of the year, it became apparent that significant and creative marketing resources will be necessary to turn around this venerable Queen’s estab-lishment.

The QP remained a highly popular campus spot and once again performed exceptionally well, both from a finance and attendance standpoint. It introduced no significant structural and marketing changes as it simply continued to enhance the professionalism and quality of service offered by its dedicated staff and management team. Finally, the concerted efforts of the senior AMS corporate presence on the University’s Campus Alcohol Working Group ensured that despite a great deal of initial concern, no policies were intro-duced that would adversely affect the campus pubs or serve to encourage students to shift their patronage to off-campus establishments.


Queen’s Student Constables

The Queen’s Student Constables (QSC) has been serving as an essential safety and support resource for stu-dents since 1936. The QSC strives to provide high quality peer supervision and support that ensures a safe social environment for Queen’s students, while upholding AMS and University regulations. Each year, staff participate in a 40-hour training course and complete a test allowing them to be certified as security guards according to Ontario standards. Student Constables can be found working at The Queen’s Pub, Alfie’s Night-club, Clark Hall Pub, athletic events, Orientation Week events, semi-formals, and innumerable other Queen’s University events both on and off campus.

The fundamental challenge facing the QSC in 2011-12 arose from a disappointing recruitment process that left the service significantly understaffed. While the QSC sustained its traditional high level of dedication and performance, there were simply too few student constables to satisfy event staffing requirements. Unfortu-nately, by year’s end this resulted in the cancellation of several events.

In response to this challenge, the QSC undertook class talks during the winter term recruitment process to promote the service. This effort was rewarded with a dramatically higher number of applicants leading to a roughly 30% increase in QSC hiring - more than sufficient to respond to scheduling demands for the coming year.

Despite the personnel challenges, the QSC improved its customer service by stressing the provision of an especially welcoming and friendly presence for all customers entering and departing campus pubs. The ser-vice also worked to enhance its cooperation and positive relationship with management teams both within the AMS and with Clark Hall.

Safety Services


Walkhome

Walkhome was created in 1988, and has since grown to become the most used safewalk program in Cana-da, providing escorted walks home to students at Queen’s. In 2012-2013, Walkhome’s yearly walk number increased by approximately 3,000 walks to a total of 15,000.

Walkhome excelled in its marketing campaigns, drawing in a larger patron population and surpassing walk numbers from years previous. The marketing campaigns branded the service with a simple design, and reached students of all years and faculties. Walkhome implemented an Orientation Week plan to introduce first years to Walkhome before any stigma was attached to the service, resulting in record breaking appli-cation numbers in the fall and a far greater proportion of walks to and from Residence than in previous years. More emphasis was made on community outreach initiatives, allowing staff members to bring forth ideas and to lead a group of staff in smaller on-campus events. The service continued its staple Walk-A-Thon events, making both events 24 hours long. Each event was an enormous success and the service raised $5000 over the course of the year for charity. Walkhome purchased new radios to replace outdated equip-ment and this enabled it to further enhance its ability to create a safe environment on campus and in the University District. It also allowed Walkhome to directly communicate with Queen’s First Aid and Campus Security.

This past year, more funds were allocated to staff wages and training to ensure that service demands were always met to provide a consistently high level of service to its patrons. By offering first aid training, Walk-home staff members were more prepared for emergency situations on the job to further enhance their ability to provide safety to the community.

This year, there was a focus on creating a more accessible kiosk space, ensuring that patrons remain the ser-vice’s number one priority. This was reinforced by creating a patron designated space, promotion of patron feedback and better training.


Media Services

CFRC 101.9FM

CFRC 101.9fm is Queen’s and Kingston’s campus-community radio station. Operating at Queen’s since 1922, CFRC is the longest-running campus-based broadcaster in the world. CFRC’s mandate is to provide inno-vative and alternative radio programming that enriches and challenges the academic and cultural lives of University and Kingston communities. It also provides members of these communities with the opportunity to participate and gain skills and experience in the collective operation of a non-profit radio station. CFRC was operated and funded by Queen’s until 2006, when the station became an AMS service. In 2012, the AMS and CFRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to separate the radio station from AMS Inc., for CFRC to comply with current federal regulations stipulating that campus-community radio stations must operate as independent non-profit entities, free from direction or control by any external incorporated body.

2012-2013 saw the groundwork for CFRC’s separation from the AMS set in place. New by-laws were drafted for Radio Queen’s University, the non-profit organization that holds CFRC’s broadcast license and will oper-ate the station in the future. A new board and membership structure were developed. CFRC’s new board of directors has representation from all stakeholders in the station, including the AMS, the SGPS, the University and the greater Kingston community.

CFRC realized a number of successes in 2012-2013, including an increase in student engagement through initiatives such as sponsoring and acting as emcee for the Orientation Week concert, launching CFRC DJ playlists and mixes for distribution at on campus outlets and on-line, and developing smartphone apps in collaboration with students from the Engineering Society. Awareness of CFRC among students was mea-sured in a February 2013 student survey, which reflected higher recognition and listenership rates than those recorded in an April 2012 AMS marketing survey. In addition to increased student outreach and awareness, CFRC held its most successful fundraising campaign to date. CFRC’s 8th annual Funding Drive, February 8-17, raised more than $25,000. The station also successfully campaigned for a fee increase from the SGPS, doubling the mandatory student fee from $3.75 to $7.50 per year and guaranteeing membership in CFRC for all SGPS members.

The station worked throughout the year to plan for a new budget equilibrium. Separation from the AMS required that CFRC reduce expenses and increase revenue to ensure their budget would be balanced in the absence of AMS deficit coverage. The station succeeded in reducing expenses enough to fall below the $8000 of deficit coverage provided by the AMS. Though the station failed to attain an increase in their stu-dent activity fee, it hopes to move into the 2013-14 year in a position to budget a surplus.


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 television show on TVCogeco 13, and one of the most advanced live streaming university sports programs in Canada, QTV is a leader among Canadian student television programs. The mandate of the service is to act as a source of information and entertainment to the student audience, while also providing professional experience in all aspects of television production.

Queen’s TV’s 24th season was a tremendous success. The service has been growing in unprecedented ways over the last few years, and this past year provided an opportunity to level out, enjoy the benefits of past triumphs, and attempt to find its clear identity as an AMS service. Despite the fact that the financial goals for the year were not met to the same extent that was achieved last year, QTV achieved new heights in regards to team morale, technical proficiency, and the building of a sturdy client base. Up until two years ago, the only sources of income were contracts with Athletics & Recreation as well as with Queen’s faculties for Frosh Week videos. This year, although the Frosh Week contracts were lost, there were advances with Video Fac-tory, contracts with Convocation, and the newly-established live streaming contract with Athletics & Recre-ation that contributed to an unprecedented growth. Marketing initiatives were fairly successful, attracting over 150 new likes on Facebook, more hits on average per video, and launching a few viral successes includ-ing The Queen’s Harlem Shake. QTV utilized all of its new equipment on a daily basis, constantly making ma-terial more relevant to the general Queen’s community, releasing breaking news content in a timely fashion, and improving on production quality overall. Queen’s TV had a strong season and upheld all of the improve-ments made in the last two years, while attracting and retaining a large new volunteer base.

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. The 2012-2013 fiscal year was difficult for the Queen’s Journal. The service experienced some financial setbacks when the contract with Campus Plus, a national advertiser, was not honoured, resulting in a significant deficit. Campus advertising also saw a significant unforeseen decrease and operating under this atmosphere of uncertainty created some issues in terms of budgeting that will likely be transitioned to next year. The Journal saw an optimistic increase in local adver-tising due to efforts of its sales representatives. If the trend for a better local economy continues, then this would equate to more financial stability for following years.

There were many unexpected pitfalls in this fiscal year that the Journal will be much better prepared for in the upcoming year. The Queen’s Journal has managed to bounce back in the past during times of eco-nomic difficulties and there is substantial reason to believe that the Journal can recover from unpredictable changes to the media marketplace. A further reduction in operation expenditures should be examined and a potential increase in the Journal student activity fee may be necessary to ensure the fiscal health for the Journal in the foreseeable future.


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 photog-raphy for the Queen’s student community. Its core offerings remain the same: the Tricolour Agenda, the Tricolour Yearbook, organizing graduate photography, and visual design services. The earliest version of YDS came in theform of the 1928 Tricolour, which has been produced continuously in 85 separate volumes.

The 2012-2013 year for the Yearbook and Design Services (YDS) brought many exciting advancements and changes. In its second year with a Marketing Manager, the brand and its visibility drastically increased. With the use of social media, students have been able to interact with YDS in ways such as using its photographs for profiles and sharing them with followers.

Reaching out to a larger audience is of great importance for YDS. Photographers expanded their coverage, incorporating more aspects of faculty societies such as Engineering, Nursing and Commerce. These ties can be further developed to incorporate a larger involvement of the student body. There was an increased de-mand on campus for design and photography services, although YDS’ primary focus remains the production of the annual yearbook. The consequence is that the service side of YDS is secondary, and that is reflective in service-specific income. For the majority of YDS, the budget was either on track or saw a reduction in spend-ing. The marketing expenses ended up being less than anticipated since a majority of initiatives were on social media. This year, several new initiatives were created, one of those being the “Make Your Mark” cam-paign. This initiative was started later in the year but the potential is strong with additional funding required in future years to see it expand.

Regarding the production of the yearbook, the overall budget will be in the red due to unforeseen expenses that carried over from the previous year. Everything is in place to ensure this does not reoccur. The expecta-tion is that the yearbook produced this year will be of exceptional quality. This year various sectors of YDS such as marketing, graduation advertising, transportation, internet and staff appreciation all had expenses


FINANCIALS


505152545557

Awards & BursariesFunds & Other OperationsFinancial Statement GuideStatement of Financial PositionStatement of OperationsSchedule of Internally Restricted Funds


AMS Awards and Bursaries(Administered by Queen’s University)Alma Mater Society Accessibility Queen’s BursaryAn endowed fund established by the AMS in Sep-tember 2007 from funds accumulated in the Acces-sibility 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 Students with Disabilities. The bursary will help with the costs associated with adaptive technology, transportation costs , etc. The capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $339,350 with a projected market value of $373,808 . There were two recipients that shared $8400 in total.

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. There were 27 awardees that shared $42,500. The capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $913,637 with a projected market value of $1,132,115 .

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. In 2012-2013, three recipients shared awards of $60,92. The income account balance in the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $170,9784 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. In 2012-2013, one recipient was awarded $900. The capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $10,242, with a projected market value of $25,792.

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 students. As at April 30, 2013 ,the student loan fund amounted to $41,950.

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 2012-2013 awards of $2,600 , the capital account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $37,566 with a projected market value of $71,398.

Queen’s Work StudyThe Work Study program is jointly funded through stu-dent activity fees and Queen’s administration. In the past the Ontario government also funded this program but funding was discontinued effective 2012-2013. The objective of the program is to provide an oppor-tunity for students in financial need to receive priority for certain part-time jobs (generally on campus) during their academic studies. Each year approximately 500 students participate in the program. In 2012-13 student interest fees provided $99,760 towards the program.

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 2012-2013 awards of $11,600 divided among five recipients, the capital balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $140,688, with a projected market value of $309,998.

Queen’s International Students’ 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. In 2011-2012, three recipients shared awards of $6000. The income account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2012 was $5,191.

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


AMS Funds and Other Operationsvolunteer work with academic achievement. With awards of $501, an eligible recipient was identified in 2012-2013. The income account balance of the fund as at April 30, 2013 was $1.00.

Accessibility Queen’s FundsThe Accessibility Queen’s 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 to cover those arising from accessibility capital projects and to include annual ongoing ac-cessibility programs and services. The balance of this fund as at April 30, 2013 was $144,252.

Advantage FundThe Advantage Fund was created by the Board of Directors in 1997. It is composed of short-term money-market and equity securities. 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, 2013 was $394,487.

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 $1,170,266.

Student Centre FundThe Student Centre Fund was established in 1991 to receive revenue from the AMS student centre activi-ty fee and from services’ space cost allocations. The fund expenses included the AMS portion of the JDUC Council’s facility operations costs and in addition, fa-cility 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 Agreement which provides for a sharing of costs associated with certain facilities referred to as the Student Life Centre such that surpluses and deficits arising from these costs will no longer be funded by the Student Centre Fund. Accumulated surpluses are to be used by the AMS

to fund student centre facility based projects and improvements. The balance in the fund as of April 30, 2013 was $604,865.

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, 2013 of $553,529.

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 balance of $29,886 in the fund as at April 30, 2013.

Special Projects GrantsThe following is a list of recipients of the AMS Spe-cial Projects Grants from 2012-13. These grants are allocated by a subcommittee of the AMS Board of Directors and is chaired by the Vice-President Univer-sity Affairs. The two recipients of the Special Projects Grant were STEP receiving $1,700 and Kingston WritersFest receiving $3,500.


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 current auditors of the AMS are KPMG LLP. The financial statements are comprised of the statement of financial position as of April 30th, which is the AMS’ fiscal year end, the state-ments of operations, changes in net assets, cash flows for the year ended April 30th, notes to finan-cial statements, and schedules of revenue, expens-es and interfund transfers by major activity. Copies of the audited financial statements including the Independent Auditors’ Report may be obtained from the AMS office or www.myams.org.

Selected financial information is included to high-light the financial position and results of operations of the AMS. In addition, a brief synopsis of terms and definitions follow to assist in the understand-ing of the financial information and serve as a guide to the inexperienced reader.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORTAn Auditor’s Report is a formal opinion issued by an independent public accounting firm to the stake-holders of an entity on completion of an audit. The report describes both management and auditor responsibilities for the financial statements, a de-scription of what an audit involves, and an opinion on the fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with accounting standards. An opinion is given based on “reasonable assurance” that “material misstatement” does not exist. There may be errors but none significant to impact decisions made by us-ers of the financial statements. A clean or unreserved opinion means that the auditors were able to satisfy themselves that the above conditions were met.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONThe statement of financial position, also known as the balance sheet, is a snapshot of the financial position of an entity on the last day of its year-end. The balance sheet is divided into three main sec-tions; assets, liabilities and net assets. Net assets represent the financial health of the entity.

Assets: An asset is an expenditure which is expect-ed to provide benefit to the entity now and into the future. Assets are listed on a balance sheet in order of liquidity (i.e. ease with which the asset can be converted into cash). A review of the AMS balance sheet shows a high level of current assets held in the form of cash or near-cash items. Capital assets are recorded at historical cost and are amor-tized (a charge to operations) over a period of time determined by the Board of Directors.

Liabilities: A liability is an obligation. Liabilities are segregated between those due in one year and less (current liabilities) and those which will come due in greater than one year. The liabilities of the AMS consist only of short term obligations due to suppliers, government agencies and amounts held by the AMS on behalf of other non-AMS groups.

Net assets: Net assets or equity is the residual after deducting liabilities from assets. In essence, it rep-resents the “net worth” of the company. The equity section is typically divided into several key compo-nents; the operating fund, reserves and restricted funds. The operating fund is the accumulated surpluses and deficits from operations from incep-tion of the entity. The operating fund includes all activities except for those managed by a fund or reserve. Reserves are established and approved by the Board of Directors. Lastly, an entity establishes restricted funds to separately account for certain activities outside normal operations. These restrict-ed funds are designated either internal or external dependent upon the entity’s control over the fund and the involvement by external persons.


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONSThe statement of operations reports revenues less expenses for an entity for a period of usually one year. The AMS reported a net surplus from the operating fund of $46,000 for the 12 months ended April 30, 2013. The breakdown for this number is provided on the following schedules; Schedules of Service, Other Corporate, and Government Revenue, Expenses and Interfund Transfers. Also reported for the year are the results for the restricted funds, which is a surplus of $310,000. The composition of this number is pro-vided on the schedule of Restricted Funds Revenue, Expenses and Interfund Transfers.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETSThe statement of changes in net assets provides a continuity of the opening balance, activity during the year, and ending balance for each component of net assets 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 operating and investing activities. The cash flow statement is con-cerned with the flow of cash in and out of the busi-ness, identifying an increase or decrease in cash and cash equivalents during the year.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTSNotes to financial statements are additional infor-mation added to the end of the financial statements. Notes to financial statements help explain specific accounting policies used by the entity and addition-al details required for the assessment of the entity’s financial condition. As required, the AMS adopted new accounting standards for not-for-profit on May 1, 2012, and these are the first financial statements prepared in accordance with these standards.

Financial Statement Guide


Financial StatementsTHE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED

Statement of Financial PositionApril 30, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

2013 2012

Assets

Current assets: Cash Marketable securities Accrued interest Accounts receivable Inventories Prepaid expenses

Capital assets Other Assets: Student Loans Program

$ 421,7445,079, 351

21,331498,836155,900

26,4786, 203, 640

383,964

41, 710

$ 6,629,314

$ 356,5835,147,826

27,459874,420182,279

23,4716,612,038

301,681

41, 950

$ 6,955,669

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 Other reserves – internally restricted Internally restricted funds Externally restricted funds Operating fund- unrestricted

$ –2,133,876

21,51015,527

5812,171,494

383,964250,000

1,895,346653,144

1,275,3664,457,820

$ 6,629,314

$ –2,027,200

90, 54123,668

–

2,141,409

301,681250,000

2,313,870583,415

1,365,2944,814,260

$ 6,955,669

THE ALMA MATER SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY INCORPORATED


Statement of OperationsYear Ended April 30th, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

Revenue: Services revenue Other corporate revenue Government revenue Restricted fund revenue

Operating expenses: Services expenses Other corporate expenses Government expenses Restricted fund expenses

Excess of revenue over expenses (expenses over revenue)

Interfund transfers - general

Excess of revenue over expenses (expenses over revenue), net of interfund transfers - general

Operating Fund

$ 6,143,5462,501,037

932,944–

9,577,527

5,797,1872,610,305

944,973–

9,352,465

225,062

(178,943)

$ 46,119

Restricted Funds

$ –––

3,891,6393,891,639

–––

3,760,2613,760,261

131,378

178,943

$ 310,321

2013 2012

Operating Fund

$ 6,070,5892,381,939

930,864–

9,383,392

5,686,3582,526,650

881,139–

9,094,147

289,245

(14,332)

$ 274,913

Restricted Funds

$ –––

5,669,2495,669,249

–––

8,190,1778,190,177

(2,520,928)

14,332

$ (2,506,596)

Total

$ 6,070,5892,381,939

930,8645,669,249

15,052,641

5,686,3582,526,650

881,1398,190,177

17,284,324

(2,231,683)

–

$ (2,231,683)

Financial Statements

This includes $830,105 revenue generated from and expenses incurred internally between Alma Mater Society departments (2012 - $848,469)

Total

$ 6,143,5462,501,037

932,9443,891,639

13,469,166

5,797,1872,610,305

944,9733,760,261

13,112,726

356,440

–

$ 356,440

Annual Report 2012-2013 55



Schedule of Service Revenues, Expenses and Interfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

2013 2012

Revenue

$ 18,620213,153

1,082,76254,186

424,362308,395

70,783

4,16041,971

1,495,512326,208

1,402,948294,644405,842

$ 6,143,546

Expenses

$ 13,688234,480

1,024,55639,878

376,280303,145

84,790

4,32242,342

1,452,474317,919

1,253,314250,282399,717

$ 5,797,187

AMS Food CentreCFRCCommon Ground CoffeehouseConvocation ServicesPublishing and Copy CentreQueen’s Student ConstablesQueens TVQueen’s Media and Journalism

S.M.A.R.T.The AMS Pub ServicesThe Queens JournalTricolour OutletYearbook and Design ServicesWalkhome

InterfundTransfers

$ ––

60,000 –

21,000 2,000

3,100

– 1,500

63,000 36,400

61,500 8,000 2,600

$259,100

NetContribution

$ 4,932

(21,327)(1,794)

14,30827,082

3,250(17,107)

(162)(1,871)

(19,962)(28,111)

88,13436,362

3,525

$ 87,259

Schedule of Other Corporate Revenues, Expenses and Interfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

AMS General OfficeBoard of DirectorsCommunications OfficeHuman Resources OfficeInformation Technology OfficeMarketing OfficeStudent Life Centre

Revenue

$1,913,543 –47,82081,420

148,28043,464

266,510

$2,501,037

Expenses

$2,076,72244,19038,82272,334

140,08334,151

204,003

$2,610,305

InterfundTransfers

$ (89,000)(53,664) – – – –62,507

$ (80,157)

NetContribution

$ (74,179) 9,4748,9989,0868,1979,313

–

$(29,111)

2013 2012



NetContribution

$ (1,884) (16,361)(13,471)

13,243 46,770

(9,197)(4,129)

(1,502)–

(4,186)6,132

(8,638)92,91629,738

$ 129,431

InterfundTransfers

$ 2,200 –

57,000 –

21,000 2,000

3,100

– –

61,000 36,400 61,500

8000 2600

$ 254,800

Expenses

$ 21,456184,609

1,053,82740,377

423,253318,496

76,134

3,825–

1,490,295292,454

1,207,987212,521361,124

$ 5,686,358

Revenue

$ 21,772168,248

1,097,35653,620

491,023311,299

75,105

2,323–

1,547,109334,986

1,260,849313,437393,462

$ 6,070,589

Revenue

$1,871,420 –51,13260,805

164,01447,715

186,853

$2,381,939

Expenses

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

159,14742,862

248,321

$2,526,650

InterfundTransfers

$ (99,000)(70,000) – – – –

(61,468)

$ (230,468)

NetContribution

$ 51,595 22,839

(176)1,7794,8674,853

–

$85,757


Conference

57


Schedule of Other Government Revenues, Expenses and Interfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

Academic AffairsCommission

Assembly

Campus Activities Comission

Internal Affairs Commission

Municipal AffairsCommission

O.U.S.A

Social Issues Commission

Commission of Environmentand Sustainability

Vice-President University Affairs

Expenses

$ 33,290

17,256

483,882

117,146

70,353

68,683

78,415

68,173

7,775

$ 944,973

NetContribution

$ 2,938

7,575

(40,045)

10,291

162

(12,961)

9,919

5,963

4,129

$ (12,029)

2013 2012


2013 2012

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

$ 45,617283,233

2,477,659466,530

-

$ 3,273,039

$ 7,257611,343

618,600

$ 3,891,639

Expenses

$ 33,43636,467

2,290,41393,371

-

$ 2,453,687

-1,306,574

1,306,574

$ 3,760,261

Interfund Transfer

$ 5,000

57,66480,000

296,638-

$ 439,302

-(618,245)

(618,245)

$ (178,943)

Net Contribution

$ 7,181189,102107,246

76,521-

$ 380,050

$ 7,257(76,986)

(69,792)

$ 310,321

Schedule of Restricted Funds Revenue, Expenses and Inerfund TransfersYear Ended April 30th, 2013, with comparative figures for 2012

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

Revenue

$ 45,732(15,266)

2,292,735453,022

2,219,251

$ 4,995,474

-673,775

673,775

$ 5,669,249

Expenses

$ 6,00071,076

2,157,07696,292

4,721,350

$ 7,051,794

-1,138,383

1,138,383

$ 8,190,177

Interfund Transfer

$ 5,000

94,00080,000

378,148546,272

$ 1,103,420

$ (546,272)(571,480)

(1,117,752)

$ (14,332)

Net Contribution

$ 34,732(180,342)

55,659(21,418)

(3,048,371)

$ (3,159,740)

$ 546,272106,872

653,144

$ (2,506,596)

InterfundTransfers

$ -

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

$ -

Revenue

$ 36,228

24,831

443,837

127,437

70,515

55,722

88,334

74,136

11,904

$ 932,944


Your Society 2012-2013Executive

President

Doug Johnson

Academic AffairsCommissioner

Isabelle Duchaine

Retail ServicesDirector

Alvin Suen

CommunicationsOfficer

Taylor Mann

Clubs Manager

Jeffrey McCarthy

General Manager

Annette Bergeron

Journal AdministrativeAssistant

Genevieve Cairns

The Publishing &Copy CentreHead Manager

Simon Koehler

Assistant ManagersChelsea-Anne AlexAnneke VandenhofMadison Koekkoek

CFRC 101.9FMMusic ProgrammingManager

Neven Lochhead

Spoken WordProgramming Manager

Lisa Aalders

Officers, Permanent Staff & Board of Directors

Council

Service Management

Vice-President(Operations)Tristan Lee

Campus ActivitiesCommissioner

Claire Casher

Hospitality &Safety Services DirectorKeenan Randall

Human ResourcesOfficer

Laura Skellet

Judicial AffairsDirectorBenjamin Burgar

Information OfficerGreg McKellar

CFRC OperationsOfficer

Kristiana Clemens

Tricolour OutletHead Manager

Becky Rose

Assistant ManagersKassandra SmrekarDylan TrebelsKathleen LiuTaylor Lewis

Queen’s JournalEditor-in-Chiefs

Katherine Fernan-dez-Blance, Labiba Haque

Business Manager

Geroldine Zhao

Vice-President(University Affairs)Mira Dineen

Commissioner of InternalAffairs

Liam Faught

Media ServicesDirector

Terra Arnone

Information TechnologyManager

Sean Braley

Orientation RoundtableCoordinatorSamantha Soto

Retail Operations Officer

John McDiarmid

CFRC Business Manager

Irina Skvortsova

Common GroundHead Manager

Mackenzie Goodwin

Assistant ManagersHamza BangashTheresa HillisCamilla JamesArgerie TzourasJustin Reekie

Queen’s TVExecutive ProducerAdam Cunliffe

Business ManagerTravis Rhee

Municipal Affairs Commissioner

Troy Sherman

Marketing Officer

Leah Macnamara

Administrative AssistantNancy Warnica

Accounting AssistantJanice Kirkpatrick

The AMS Pub ServicesHead ManagerJessica Flower

Assistant ManagersStephanie JohnstonLaura SonleyHeather CarsonJoe KotzeMeghan BuckleyMel McPhailTom Gilbert

Yearbook & DesignServicesHead ManagerCorey Lablans

Production ManagerArianna Scianaro

Social Issues Commissioner

Katie Conway

Student Centre Officer

Derrick Dodgson

Controller

Lyn Parry

Board of Directors ChairRob Gamble

Queen’s Student ConstablesHead ManagerMatthew Brenton

Assistant ManagerRachel Hornsby

Commissioner of the Environmentand SustainabilityTy Greene

Members of theBoard of DirectorsDuncan PetersonCraig DraegerBrian LynchKristine Ramsbottom Kieran SlobodinDoug Johnson Tristan Lee Mira Dineen Annette Bergeron Dave Wood Annette Paul David McConomy Keenan RandallTerra Arnone Alvin Suen

WalkhomeHead Manager

Milan Kshatriya

Assistant ManagerRachel Lehman


Commissioner of the Environmentand SustainabilityTy Greene

Members of theBoard of DirectorsDuncan PetersonCraig DraegerBrian LynchKristine Ramsbottom Kieran SlobodinDoug Johnson Tristan Lee Mira Dineen Annette Bergeron Dave Wood Annette Paul David McConomy Keenan RandallTerra Arnone Alvin Suen

WalkhomeHead Manager

Milan Kshatriya

Assistant ManagerRachel Lehman

Cha Gheill!

WWW.MYAMS.ORG

ams annual report, 2012-2013

Documents

ams assembly

member society

society elections

ams governance structure

student societies

following ams member

active student governments

oldest student government