Table  of  Contents                        Our  Approach                     3  Who  we  are:  

Eril  Berkok  (Presidential  Candidate)                 4  Peter  Green  (Vice  President  Operations  Candidate)           5  T.K.  Pritchard  (Vice  President  University  Affairs  Candidate)         6  

 Pillar  #1  –  Health,  Wellness  and  Safety  

 Expanding  Blue  Lights  into  the  University  District           9    Revolutionizing  The  Health  &  Dental  Plan  through  Student  Feedback     10    Creation  of  a  Student  Mental  Health  Advisory  Board           11    Facilitation  of  Professional  Mental  Health  Support  Groups  on  Campus     12    Installation  of  a  Crosswalk  at  Division  and  Union           13  

Pillar  #2  –  New  and  Improved  AMS  Services  Revitalizing  the  JDUC;  a  Million  Dollar  Decision  made  Directly  by  Students     15  Creation  of  The  Upper  Crust  -­‐  a  Grilled  Cheese  and  Soup  Food  Service     16  Syllabi;  Available  Before  Course  Selection             17  LGBTQ  Thursdays  at  Alfie’s                 18  Re-­‐evaluate  and  Upgrade  the  AMS  Infrastructure           19  

             Next  Generation  Web  Presence                 20  Pillar  #3  –  Supporting  Student  Life  

Expanding  Queen’s  Wi-­‐Fi  into  University  District  Homes         22  Virtual  Labs  –  Bringing  Lab  Software  Off  Campus           23  Ensuring  Homecoming  is  Here  to  Stay               24  The  Creation  of  The  Arts  Council                 25  Proactively  Support  the  Needs  of  Student  Societies           26  Student  Rental  Property  and  Security  Consulting  for  Housing         27  

Pillar  #4-­‐  Academics  and  Employment  Skills  Campus  Entrepreneurship  Opportunities             29  Student  volunteerism,  employment,  and  job  skills           30  Finding  Scholarships  Easier  -­‐  the  Scholarship  Calculator         31  Auditing  and  Reducing  Peripheral  Course  Fees             32  

 Commission  Reviews     Academic  Affairs  Commission               34     Campus  Activates  Commission               35     Commission  of  Environment  and  Sustainability           36     Commission  of  Internal  Affairs               37     Municipal  Affairs  Commission               38     Social  Issues  Commission                 39  

 Service  Reviews     TAPS                       41     Common  Ground                   42     Walkhome                     43     Stucons                     44     P&CC                       45     Tricolour                     46     QTV                       47     Yearbook  and  Design  Services               48     Queen’s  Journal                   49     CFRC                       50  Office  Reviews     Communications  Office                 52     Marketing  Office                   53  

Human  Resources  Office                 54  IT  Office                     55  Student  Centre  Office                   56  

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our  Approach    

Team   BGP   is   Eril   Berkok   for  President,   Peter   Green   for   Vice  President   of   Operations   and   T.K.  Pritchard   for   Vice   President   of  University  Affairs.  Eril  is  a  fifth  year  Computer   Science   student   with   a  specialization   in   Software   Design,  Peter   is   a   fourth   year   Biology   and  Art   History   second   degree  candidate,   and   T.K.   is   a   fifth   year  Drama   and   English   medial.    BGP   is  a   team  where  each  candidate’s  experience   is   rooted  either  within  or  externally   to   the  AMS.  This  means  that  Team  BGP  understand  the  AMS,  but  is  not  content  to  simply  maintain  the  status  quo.    The  team  thinks  critically  about  student  issues  and  the  AMS  itself  and  is  committed  to  action.  Decision  making  should  not  be  carried  out  within  the  AMS  offices,  but  in  discussion  with   students   throughout   our   campus.   We   don’t   believe   this   is   just   our   AMS   -­‐   it’s   yours.    Our   job   is  to  get  our  fingers  on  the  pulse  of  the  student  body  -­‐  to   learn  what  you  want  done  with  your  AMS.    We  are  not  satisfied  with  just  leaving  our  doors  open  for  students  to  drop  in.    It’s  time  we  came  to  you.    We  will  be  proactive  in  seeking  out  consultation  within  the  student  body  and  we  will  facilitate  critical  assessment  of  our  actions.  

We  will  be  proactive  in  seeking  out  the  opinions  of  the  student  body  in  what  we  do,  and  we  will  facilitate  critical  assessment  of  our  actions  wherever  possible.  

This  attitude  of  outreach  and  consultation  was  the  foundation  in  building  our  team’s  campaign  platform.     Its   four   pillars   of   Health,  Wellness   and   Safety,   New   and   Improved   AMS   Services,  Academics   and  Employment,   and   Supporting   Student   Life  offers   a   strong   vision   and   carefully  laid  course  for  the  AMS.  

It’s   time   for   the   AMS   to   truly   serve   and   represent   the   diversity   of   students   at   Queen’s  University.    It’s  time  for  Homecoming,  for  expanding  the  bluelight  network  north  of  campus,  for  free  QueenU  wifi  accessibility  in  student  homes.    It’s  time  for  an  AMS  you’re  proud  to  call  yours.  

 

 

Eril  Berkok  (Presidential  Candidate)  

Eril  is  a  5th  year  student  working  on  a  Software  Design  degree  in  the  School  of  Computing.  Having  lived  in  Kingston  for  16  years,  he  came  to  Queen’s  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  rest  of  his  immediate  family.  Beginning  modestly  as  a  leader  in  Computing  Orientation  Week,  Eril  eventually  progressed  to  leading  the  Computing  Students’  Association  as  President,  where  he  got  his  first  exposure  to  the  AMS  through  AMS  Assembly  and  several  of  its  committees.  

 Since  he  began  working  with  the  AMS,  Eril  has  spent  16  months  on  a  professional  internship  with  IBM  in  Markham,  Ontario,  where  he  has  learned  many  professional,  technical,  and  leadership  skills.  Returning  to  Queen’s  for  his  fifth  year,  he  found  it  difficult  to  resist  assisting  in  the  betterment  of  the  university  and  became  involved  again  as  both  a  student  senator  and  Student  Senate  Caucus  Chair.    As  a  member  of  the  University  Senate  and  the  Academic  Planning  Task  Force,  Eril  pushes  hard  for  the  improvement  of  academic  quality  at  the  university.    Beyond  advocating  for  academic  quality  in  university  governance,  Eril  has  been  immersed  in  academia  through  both  research  and  teaching  opportunities.  After  spending  a  summer  in  research  and  development  with  the  EQUIS  lab  and  dedicating  two  years  to  being  a  tutorial  instructor  for  MATH  111,  he  has  accumulated  substantial  experience  in  these  fields.  In  recognition  of  his  success,  Eril  now  has  the  unique  honour  of  being  a  co-­‐instructor  of  the  course  with  Dr.  Peter  Taylor.    Despite  having  diverse  experience  in  all  facets  of  academics,  extensive  professional  skills  and  strong  leadership  abilities,  Eril  has  never  forgotten  why  he  gets  involved:  To  put  himself  in  a  situation,  identify  problems,  solve  those  problems,  and  ultimately  make  life  better  for  everyone  around  him.  It  is  something  he  takes  pride  in  doing  and  something  that  he  promises  to  bring  to  the  office  of  the  AMS  President.              

       

Peter  Green  (Vice  President  Operations  Candidate)    Peter  Green  is  in  his  fourth  year  of  achieving  his  Bachelor’s  of  Science  in  biology  while  concurrently  completing  his  second  bachelor’s  degree  in  art  history.    His  interests  lie  in  the  emerging  scientific  field  of  technical  art  history.  Peter  is  twenty-­‐one  years  of  age  and  a  Toronto  native.    Peter  grew  up  in  a  family  that  highly  valued  an  education,  or  more  fondly,  a  Queen’s  education.    He  is  

incredibly  excited  to  finally  welcome  his  grandfather  (Eng’47)  to  this  year’s  Homecoming  and  help  him  walk  the  track  at  Richardson  Stadium.    Peter  came  into  his  first  year  at  Queen’s  with  a  modest  aptitude  for  management  and  budgeting.    He  had  just  run  the  most  fiscally  successful  term  of  his  high  school’s  student  council  to  date  with  the  council’s  largest  recorded  profit.    As  President,  he  was  proud  to  found  a  post  secondary  scholarship  with  his  council’s  surplus.    He  was  eager  to  pursue  these  ambitions  at  a  higher  level  at  Queen’s.    In  his  second  year,  Peter  began  his  relationship  with  Queen’s  services  at  CFRC  co-­‐hosting  a  morning  radio  program.  This  public  platform  fostered  an  understanding  of  AMS  policy  and  motivated  his  passion  for  the  arts  at  Queen’s.    One  of  Peter’s  proudest  accomplishments  at  Queen’s  is  his  election  to  the  Board  of  Directors  at  The  Union  Gallery.  In  his  role  as  Communications  Director,  Peter  oversees  a  committee  that  manages  the  gallery’s  marketing  and  branding,  the  production  of  its  publications  and  the  gallery’s  promotion  within  the  Kingston  community.  His  experience  on  the  board  has  taught  him  the  intricate  operations  of  the  non-­‐profit  entity,  the  challenges  of  making  difficult  budget  cuts  and  has  instilled  a  strong  spirit  of  advocacy  for  the  arts  at  Queen’s.    Peter  worked  for  two  years  as  a  Banking  Officer  at  Scotiabank  specializing  in  international  personal  banking  policy.  His  experience  in  finance  has  polished  his  skills  in  project  management,  communication  and  relationship  management.    Peter’s  experience  on  his  bilateral  exchange  in  the  Netherlands  was  a  genuinely  transformational  one.  He  sees  the  benefits  of  diverse  perspectives,  the  value  of  empathy  and  the  necessity  of  equitable  representation.  As  a  recipient  of  the  Anne  Kerr  Social  Justice  Award,  Peter  fondly  continues  his  relationship  with  Kingston’s  Sexual  Health  Resource  Centre.  He  firmly  believes  in  the  indispensible  nature  of  both  social  and  health  resources  on  campus.      

T.K.  Pritchard  (Vice  President  University  Affairs  Candidate)    T.K.  is  a  5th  year  student  working  on  a  medial  in  Drama  and  English.  He  is  from  Barrie,  Ontario  and  came  to  Queen’s  after  attending  an  enrichment  program  on  campus  when  he  was  12,  where  he  fell  in  love  with  the  school.    T.K.  began  to  get  involved  with  the  AMS  as  a  general  member  of  a  Social  Issues  Commission  committee  (EQuIP  

–  the  Education  on  Queer  Issues  Project),  in  his  first  year.  In  second  year  he  was  a  Gael,  chaired  Queen’s  Pride  Project,  was  a  member  of  Performance  Outreach  for  Student’s  Social  Education  (POSSE),  and  continued  work  with  EQuIP.  In  third  year  he  chaired  EQuIP,  continued  with  POSSE  and  was  nominated  for  a  Positive  Space  Award.    In  his  4th  year  T.K.  was  a  member  of  AMS  Council  in  the  full-­‐time  position  of  Social  Issues  Commissioner,  where  he  worked  with  the  VPUA  under  their  direct  supervision.  In  this  position  he  oversaw  a  variety  of  committees  which  do  equity  work,  as  well  as  the  AMS  Peer  Support  Centre  and  the  Food  Centre.  He  also  sat  on  several  committees,  including  the  Student  Affairs  Mental  Health  Working  Group,  the  Queen’s  University  International  Centre  Council,  and  the  Council  for  Employment  Equity,  as  well  as  two  Council  of  Ontario  University  committees  which  worked  on  domestic  violence  and  accessibility.    Currently,  he  is  employed  full  time  by  the  AMS  as  the  Administration  Manager  for  the  Student  Life  Centre,  an  AMS  Service.  In  this  role  he  manages  24  paid  staff  and  oversees  the  operations  of  the  Welcome  and  Information  Office  in  the  JDUC  as  well  as  the  setups  of  all  Student  Life  Centre  buildings.  He  is  also  a  volunteer  for  the  Sexual  Health  Resource  Centre.    Outside  of  the  AMS,  T.K.  has  been  employed  in  various  service  sector  jobs,  ranging  from  hospitality  to  sports  and  recreation.  He  has  also  worked  as  an  intervenor  for  Deafblind  Ontario  Services  for  two  years.    The  opportunities  that  T.K.  has  pursued  over  the  past  five  years  have  helped  him  to  learn  how  to  effectively  lead  large  groups  of  people  with  a  variety  of  opinions  and  views,  the  importance  of  teamwork  and  support,  and  how  to  produce  positive  results  under  pressure  and  in  adverse  situations.    

         

 Pillar  #1  

Health,  Wellness  and  Safety  

       

1. Expanding  Blue  Lights  into  the  University  District  2. Revolutionizing  The  Health  &  Dental  Plan  through  Student  Feedback  

3. Creation  of  a  Student  Mental  Health  Advisory  Board  4. Facilitation  of  Professional  Mental  Health  Support  Groups  on  Campus  

5. Installation  of  a  Crosswalk  at  Division  and  Union  

   

Installing  Blue  Lights  in  the  University  District  

Team  BGP  is  committed  to  taking  tangible  steps  to  improve  safety  on  and  off  campus.  We  will  install  Blue  Lights  in  the  University  District    

Student  safety  is  extremely  important  to  Team  BGP,  both  on  and  off  campus;  this  is  why  we  will  install  Blue  Lights  in  the  University  District.  Blue  Lights  provide  direct  lines  of  communication  to  Campus  Security  by  pressing    a  large  red  button.  A  student  can  either  press  the  blue  light  button  and  speak  to  a  campus  security  member,  or  they  can  press  it  while  running  by  and  alert  security  to  their  location.  We  feel  that  the  installation  of  Blue  Lights  would  be  a  tangible  way  to  access  security  resources  while  serving  as  a  deterrent  to  potential  assailants.      Team  BGP  is  proposing  a  three  step  plan  to  installing  Blue  Lights  in  the  University  District.  Step  one  would  be  to  run  a  pilot  project  in  Victoria  Park  and  City  Park.  The  lights  would  be  under  co-­‐jurisdiction  of  Campus  Security  and  the  City  of  Kingston  Police,  with  Campus  Security  being  first  responders,  who  would  then  contact  the  police  if  necessary  (as  is  common  practice  on  campus  as  well).  These  lights  would  be  installed  in  the  summer  of  2013.    If  we  have  success  with  the  lights  installed  in  Victoria  Park  and  City  Park,  we  will  then  examine  more  locations  throughout  the  University  District  where  Blue  Lights  could  be  installed  (i.e.,  the  second  step  of  the  project).      The  third  step  would  be  to  lobby  the  city  to  install  safety  lights/panic  buttons  in  vulnerable  areas  such  as  public  underground  parking  garages,  parking  lots,  and  bus  stops.  These  would  be  under  city  jurisdiction  and  would  work  to  keep  both  students  and  Kingstonians  safe.    Team  BGP  met  with  Student  Affairs  to  discuss  the  Blue  Light  Project.  They  were  100%  behind  the  idea  and  committed  to  working  with  Team  BGP  as  well  as  the  city  to  see  the  project  through.  Student  Affairs  also  felt  that  the  project  fell  in  line  with  the  safety  idea  currently  under  development  with  the  city.  They  further  indicated  that  the  funding  could  be  split  between  the  City,  Student  Affairs,  and  the  AMS.  

         

 

 

Revolutionizing  your  health  and  dental  insurance  

Team  BGP  is  committed  to  providing  the  best  health  and  dental  care  plan  possible,  and  will  re-­‐negotiate  the  plan  based  on  student  input  to  best  meet  current  demands,  while  also  making  it  easier  to  use.    The  AMS  provides  a  health  and  dental  plan  that  is  accessible  to  any  of  its  members.  It  plays  a  crucial  role  in  facilitating  the  health  of  the  student  body,  and  maximizing  its  utility  is  something  that  we  care  very  much  about.  Between  the  rapidly  growing  enrolment  of  AMS  membership  and  the  precedent  set  by  previous  AMS  Executives  for  renegotiation,  Team  BGP  is  proposing  to  do  the  following:  

1. Use  a  marketing  survey  to  determine  which  parts  of  the  plan  are  most  demanded  and  which  are  least  demanded,  while  also  allowing  students  to  propose  their  own  ideas  for  what  should  be  covered  

2. In  addition,  we  will  use  the  Fall  referendum  to  survey  how  receptive  students  would  be  to  having  expanded  coverage  for  contraception,  physiotherapy,  and  mental  health  counselling  

3. Using  all  of  this  information,  we  will  renegotiate  for  more  coverage  for  areas  of  high  demand  and  less  coverage  for  the  areas  of  low  demand,  in  an  effort  to  maintain  the  current  premium  that  students  pay  

 In  addition  to  the  health  &  dental  plan  itself,  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  launching  a  two-­‐part  awareness  initiative  to  ensure  that  as  many  people  as  possible  know  how  to  use  it.  To  this  particular  end,  with  the  Communications  Officer  we  will  do  the  following:  

1. Undertake  an  awareness  campaign  to  better  inform  the  student  body  of  when  the  plan  can  be  used  and  how  to  use  it  

2. Communicate  with  local  businesses  relevant  to  the  plan  to  ensure  that  they  know  when  to  ask  whether  a  student  would  like  to  utilize  their  plan  for  purchases  

 

 

 

 

Student  Mental  Health  Advisory  Board  and  Mental  Health  Support  Groups    Team  BGP  has  a  strong  commitment  to  student  Mental  Health.  We  will  introduce  tangible  projects  to  help  increase  both  mental  health  awareness  as  well  as  mental  health  resources  on  campus.    There  are  two  new  mental  health  initiatives  which  Team  BGP  would  like  to  introduce.  First,  we  would  like  to  create  a  Student  Mental  Health  Advisory  Board,  which  would  have  representatives  from  all  faculties,  the  Peer  Support  Centre,  the  Mental  Health  Awareness  Committee,  and  AMS  Council.  Team  BGP  believes  in  taking  an  all-­‐faculty  approach  to  lobbying  and  resource  creation.  We  have  been  made  aware  of  various  issues  which  specific  faculties  may  face  in  regards  to  mental  health.  For  example,  due  to  their  hours,  Nursing  students  are  often  unable  to  use  HCDS  resources  when  they  are  completing  clinical  placements.  This  is  a  time  in  which  they  face  a  variety  of  highly  emotional  challenges  which  should  be  supported  by  proper  mental  health  services.  An  all-­‐faculty  Student  Mental  Health  Advisory  Board  could  help  bring  these  types  of  issues  to  light,  while  allowing  us  to  properly  work  with  HCDS  and  the  Peer  Support  Centre  to  better  support  all  of  our  students.  

 Secondly,  after  consulting  with  multiple  representatives  from  Health,  Counseling  and  Disability  Services,  Team  BGP  would  like  to  facilitate  bringing  professional  support  groups  to  campus.  Through  working  with  community  groups,  we  will  have  trained  community  partners  come  to  a  centralized,  private  area  on  campus  in  order  to  provide  support  groups  to  cover  areas  such  as  alcohol/drug  addiction,  eating  disorders  and  depression.    These  groups  would  be  free  for  students  to  access.  We  also  commit  to  doing  outreach  to  determine  what  kinds  of  other  groups  students  may  be  interested  in  having  come  to  campus.    Finally,  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  supporting  the  development  of  a  Health  and  Wellness  Centre  on  Campus.  After  speaking  with  Vice  Provost  and  Dean  of  Student  Affairs  Anne  Tierney,  Principal  Woolf,  and  head  of  counseling  services  at  Health,  Counseling  and  Disability  Services,  it  is  clear  that  a  Health  and  Wellness  Centre  is  a  needed  resource  at  Queen’s.  Team  BGP  fully  supports  this  initiative  and  will  take  an  active  role  in  the  planning  of  this  long  term  project.        

 

   

Crosswalk  at  Union  and  Division  

Team  BGP  recognizes  a  need  for  a  safer  way  to  cross  Union  street,  near  Division,  and  will  work  to  ensure  the  installation  of  a  Crosswalk.    A  safe  campus  environment  is  an  issue  of  primary  importance,  and  we  strongly  support  the  need  to  continually  improve  all  aspects  student  safety.  With  that  in  mind,  we  have  identified  an  area  of  concern  where  we  feel  that  we  can  make  an  important  adjustment.  At  the  intersection  of  Division  and  Union,  a  significant  number  of  students  cross  the  street  to  get  to  and  from  ILC.  Team  BGP  commits  to  working  to  have  a  courtesy  crosswalk  installed  across  Union  at  this  location.  This  will  provide  a  safer  means  to  cross  the  street  for  students,  and  will  also  slow  the  traffic  entering  the  university  area  from  Barrie  Street.  We  feel  that  this  step  is  necessary  to  protect  students  and  prevent  vehicular  accidents.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pillar  #2  

New  and  Improved  AMS  Services  

 1. Revitalizing  the  JDUC:  A  Million  Dollar  Decision  made  directly  by  Students  

2. Creation  of  The  Upper  Crust  -­‐  a  Grilled  Cheese  and  Soup  Food  Service  

3. Syllabus  Bank  to  Aid  in  Course  Selection  4. LGBTQ  Thursdays  at  Alfie’s  5. Re-­‐evaluate  and  Upgrade  the  AMS  Infrastructure  6. Next  Generation  Web  Presence  

   

Revitalizing  the  JDUC  Team  BGP  will  commit  to  facilitating  a  process  whereby  student  focus  groups  will  choose  how  they  want  the  JDUC  renovated  and  upgraded  –  a  million  dollar  decision  made  by  students  for  students.    The  JDUC  is  currently  undergoing  a  number  of  changes.  The  University  administration  is  renovating  the  north  end  cafeteria  and  the  tiles  are  currently  being  replaced  throughout  the  building;  however  there  is  still  room  for  further  improvement.  Team  BGP  believes  in  doing  its  due  diligence  and  ensuring  that  the  $1.2  million  that  the  AMS  was  given  to  revitalize  the  JDUC  is  spent  in  consultation  with  the  student  body.  As  such,  we  promise  the  following:  

1. We  will  work  with  the  current  AMS  Executive  to  design  a  marketing  survey  that  will  go  out  to  every  student  in  September.  This  survey  will  ask  questions  to  generally  determine  what  students  want  out  of  the  JDUC,  allow  them  to  propose  their  own  ideas  on  how  to  spend  the  money,  and  will  allow  them  to  evaluate  our  proposals,  including:                                

a. Renovating  the  Performance  Lounge  at  the  north  end  of  the  JDUC,                                                b. Building  a  walkway  between  the  2nd  floor  of  the  JDUC  and  Common  Ground  in  

the  Queen's  Centre,                          c. Renovating  the  offices  found  in  the  corridor  near  the  P&CC  (The  “Bombshelter”),  

providing  modern  offices  for  AMS  services  and  CESA,  while  also  potentially  opening  up  new  spaces  for  use  by  student  groups.  

d. Improving  the  lighting  throughout  the  building  2. Additionally,  this  survey  will  allow  students  to  opt-­‐in  to  a  random  selection  process,  

which  will  be  used  to  form  a  focus  group  3. This  focus  group  will  take  the  information  gathered  by  the  survey  and,  in  conjunction  

with  various  experts  (i.e.  the  AMS  Retail  Operations  Officer,  the  AMS  Board  of  Directors  Chair,  etc.),  come  to  a  decision  on  how  the  money  will  be  spent  before  the  end  of  the  Fall  semester  

4. With  a  fully  prepared  set  of  recommendations,  the  AMS  will  proceed  to  implement  the  decisions  of  this  focus  group  

 

 

   

The  Upper  Crust  -­‐  a  Grilled  Cheese  and  Soup  Food  Service  

Team  BGP  recognizes  that  in  light  of  the  increasing  competition  and  overlap  in  the  express  coffee  shop  market  that  there  is  opportunity  in  changing  Common  Ground  Express  into  something  new  -­‐  a  grilled  cheese  and  soup  outlet.    Common  Ground  Express  has  been  a  valuable  part  of  the  JDUC  for  the  time  that  it  has  operated,  providing  premades  and  quick  pickup  products  for  passers-­‐by.  However,  with  the  opening  of  the  new  Tim  Horton’s  on  the  first  floor  of  the  JDUC  (a  more  accessible  area  than  where  CoGro  Express  is)  a  significant  threat  exists  to  CoGro  Express  and  saturation  of  this  particular  market.    This  being  the  case,  we  see  an  opportunity  to  rebrand  CoGro  Express  as  The  Upper  Crust  to  provide  an  alternative  food  service  on  campus.    This  plan  would  involve  the  following:  

1. We  will  replace  Common  Ground  Express  with  a  new  food  service,  tentatively  named  “The  Upper  Crust”,  that  exclusively  offers  grilled  cheese  and  soup  

a. These  sandwiches  would  employ  a  ready-­‐to-­‐go  business  model  similar  to  that  of  Lil’  Ceasar’s  

b. Expansion  of  menu  options  would  be  explored  following  a  year’s  operation  to  more  accurately  forecast  and  cater  to  the  student  market.  

2. We  tentatively  plan  to  use  the  existing  infrastructure  of  CommonGround  management,  best  practices,  suppliers  and  employees  

a. Extensive  consultation  with  CoGro  will  be  made  to  explore  the  potential  of  hiring  a  new  manager  to  oversee  this  growing  satellite  location  

b. A  full  rebranding  of  the  satellite  service’s  uniforms  and  marketing  3. A  revitalization  of  the  CoGro  Express  /  Tricolour  hallway  would  be  implemented  to  

bring  traffic  back  to  the  JDUC  a. Tiling  and  additional  seating  are  already  underway,  a  major  contingent  to  the  

success  of  the  new  satellite  service  b. Revitalization  of  the  dead  space  between  Tricolour  and  the  existing  CoGro  

Express      

 

 

 

Course  syllabi  –  available  anytime,  anywhere  

Team  BGP  strongly  believes  in  empowering  the  student  body  to  know  the  breakdown  of  any  course  before  choosing  to  enrol  in  it.  We  will  work  with  the  University  to  develop  a  central  database  of  course  syllabi  that  will  make  this  possible.    Team  BGP  supports  empowering  students  in  shaping  their  learning  experience  based  on  their  learning  styles.  If  someone  feels  they  work  and  learn  better  in  project-­‐based  courses,  then  they  should  be  able  to  know  which  courses  devote  more  of  their  marking  scheme  to  projects.  If  they  prefer  having  courses  with  no  exams,  they  should  be  able  to  know  which  courses  follow  that  model.  As  such,  we  will  work  with  faculty  members  to  upload  all  of  their  course  syllabi  into  one  database  that  is  accessible  in  much  the  same  way  as  Exambank  currently  is  (see  here:  http://library.queensu.ca/examsearch/).  This  has  been  an  idea  suggested  several  times  in  the  past,  but  we  want  to  make  it  an  executive  priority.    Additionally,  we  will  explore  the  possibility  of  adding  more  search  metrics,  such  as  whether  or  not  a  course  has  a  final  exam,  whether  or  not  there  are  weekly  quizzes,  and  more.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 LGBTQ  Thursdays  at  Alfie’s    Team  BGP  will  offer  a  LGBTQ  night  on  a  regular  basis  at  Alfie’s  Night  Club.  

 The  AMS  mission  statement  is  to  serve  and  represent  the  diversity  of  students  at  Queen’s  University.  We  feel  that  in  addition  to  the  various  educational  initiatives  which  the  AMS  undertakes,  in  order  to  fulfill  part  of  this  mandate,  it  would  be  ideal  to  also  introduce  a  new  social  event.  Team  BGP  is  proposing  to  implement  an  LGBTQ  night  at  Alfie’s  nightclub,  at  least  once  a  month.  We  feel  that  this  night  would  provide  a  safe  space  for  all  students,  would  be  a  chance  for  queer  identified  students  to  meet  fellow  queer  identified  students  in  a  purely  social  setting.    This  would  represent  the  first  large  scale  LGBTQ  event  to  be  incorporated  into  the  AMS’s  Hospitality  Services,  a  massive  shift  in  perspective  and  practice  we  believe  essential  to  our  student  government.  It  is  our  hope  that  events  such  as  this  will  continue  to  work  to  ensure  that  all  students  feel  at  home,  safe  and  comfortable  in  the  AMS.  

   

   

Re-­‐evaluate  and  upgrade  the  AMS  infrastructure  Team  BGP  is  not  in  the  business  of  maintaining  the  status  quo;  we  will  re-­‐evaluate  many  aspects  of  the  AMS  Government,  including  its  external  representation  stances,  its  internal  structure,  its  government  budgetary  practices,  and  its  use  of  long-­‐term  planning.    An  organizational  structure  as  vast  as  the  AMS  demands  innovative  leadership.  It  also  demands  the  initiative  to  streamline  when  years  of  new  ideas  have  run  their  course,  or  when  other  organizations  are  better  equipped  to  do  them.  As  such,  Team  BGP  will  do  the  following:  

1. Fully  re-­‐evaluate  the  stances  that  the  AMS  takes  with  external  organizations,  such  as  the  Ontario  government,  Queen’s  administration,  etc.,  to  ensure  that  they  are  up-­‐to-­‐date  and  wholly  reflective  of  student  opinion.  We  will  use  the  Fall  referendum  to  distribute  a  survey  covering  each  of  the  issues  that  our  external  lobbying  policy  covers,  and  inform  policy  changes  with  the  results  of  this  survey  

2. We  will  form  a  working  group  featuring  the  AMS  Executive,  the  AMS  Information  Officer,  and  five  other  members  of  the  society  to  undertake  a  full  structural  review  of  the  AMS  Government  in  order  to  streamline  its  structure  and  maximize  its  efficiency.  This  group  will  work  throughout  the  year  and  produce  recommendations  for  the  second  last  Assembly  of  the  year  

3. We  will  begin  shifting  the  AMS  Government  to  a  culture  of  long-­‐term  planning,  complete  with  multi-­‐year  plans  for  commissions  and  the  society  as  a  whole,  ratified  by  AMS  Assembly  

4. We  will  create  a  more  detailed  AMS  Government  budget  and  keep  better  track  of  our  finances  by  breaking  the  budget  down  into  smaller  and  more  specific  categories.  This  will  be  done  to  better  ensure  accountability  and  help  in  terms  of  cost-­‐savings  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next  Generation  Web  Presence  

Team  BGP  will  work  to  improve  and  expand  the  uses  of  AMS  service  websites,  the  President’s  newsletter,  AMS  blogs,  online  discussion  boards,  and  the  AMS  website  search  utility,  while  also  making  all  of  this  mobile-­‐friendly  and  offering  a  web  store.    The  AMS’s  web  presence  has  improved  enormously  over  the  past  few  years  with  a  full  website  redesign  and  new  service  websites;  however,  Team  BGP  believes  there  are  still  many  opportunities  for  improvement.  As  such,  we  aim  to  do  the  following:  

1. Implement  an  online  web  store,  complete  with  electronic  payment  solutions,  in  order  to  improve  access  to  services  such  as  Tricolour  Outlet  and  Yearbook  &  Design  Services.  We  will  explore  expanding  this  infrastructure  to  clubs  and  other  societies  who  wish  to  offer  their  wares  in  this  manner  

2. In  conjunction  with  student  trustees  and  senators,  utilize  the  AMS  blogs  to  introduce  discussions  with  regards  to  University  governance  bodies  (e.g.,  the  Senate,  Board  of  Trustees,  and  University  Council)  to  students-­‐at-­‐large.  They  will  also  continue  to  be  used  for  AMS-­‐specific  affairs  

3. Give  constituent  societies  access  to  our  online  discussion  board  infrastructure  in  order  for  them  to  be  able  to  host  their  discussions  online,  if  they  so  choose  

4. Bring  service  websites  closer  to  the  forefront  of  the  website  to  facilitate  their  usage.  Additionally,  we  will  unify  the  look  and  feel  of  all  AMS-­‐related  websites  to  produce  consistency  in  brand  and  to  improve  usability  

5. Improve  the  search  function  to  apply  search  queries  across  all  affiliated  AMS  websites  and  constituent  society  websites  (clubs,  services,  faculty  &  residence  societies),  so  that  the  AMS  website  can  better  act  as  a  portal  to  the  Queen’s  extra-­‐curricular  experience  

6. Use  the  President’s  monthly  newsletter  to  ask  a  “question  of  the  month”  to  the  student  body;  this  will  facilitate  feedback  on  major  issues  and  AMS  operations  

7. Develop  a  mobile  version  of  the  website,  making  it  easily  viewable  through  mobile  browsers  

8. Commit  to  exploring  new  opportunities  to  augment  our  offerings  with  online  components  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pillar  #3  Supporting  Student  

Life    

1. Expanding  Queen’s  Wi-­‐Fi  into  University  District  Homes  

2. Virtual  Labs  –  Bringing  Lab  Software  Off  Campus  3. Ensuring  Homecoming  is  Here  to  Stay  4. The  Creation  of  The  Arts  Council  5. Proactively  Support  the  Needs  of  Student  Societies  6. Student  Property  Rental  and  Security  Consulting  for  Housing  

   

Queen’s  Free  Secure  Wi-­‐Fi  into  the  University  District  

Team  BGP  will  partner  with  Queen’s  Information  Technology  Services  to  expand  the  Queen’s  free  secure  wi-­‐fi  network’s  coverage  into  the  University  District.    The  free  Queen’s  wi-­‐fi  networks  have  provided  tremendous  benefits  to  Queen’s  students  for  years,  but  only  within  the  confines  of  the  campus  buildings.  Given  the  increasingly  mobile  nature  of  students  and  the  increasing  reliance  on  Internet  for  daily  activities,  Team  BGP  believes  that  it  is  time  to  expand  this  service  farther  into  the  University  District.  As  such,  we  will  do  the  following:  

1. We  will  partner  with  Queen’s  Information  Technology  Services  to  procure  new  infrastructure  that  initially  expands  coverage  several  blocks  outward  from  campus  and  into  the  University  District  (the  areas  that  have  the  densest  student  population),  with  long-­‐term  plans  to  go  far  beyond  those  borders  and  cover  as  many  students  as  possible  

2. The  AMS  will  take  the  lead  on  marketing  this  project  to  the  students  and  will  survey  the  surrounding  areas  to  determine  where  expansion  will  cover  the  most  students  

3. Given  its  magnitude,  this  will  be  a  multi-­‐year  project,  but  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  making  this  a  priority  project  for  the  university  so  that  students  can  have  internet  coverage  wherever  they  are  within  the  University  District  

4. We  will  seek  out  future  potential  partners,  such  as  the  SGPS          

 

 

 

 

 

Virtual  Labs  –  Bringing  Lab  Software  Off-­‐Campus  

Team  BGP  will  work  with  Information  Technology  Services  to  allow  students  to  use  their  lab  software  from  anywhere  -­‐  including  the  comfort  of  their  own  home  -­‐  free  of  charge.    There  are  many  courses  on  campus  that  make  use  of  subject-­‐related  software  that  is  available  for  free  on  on-­‐campus  labs,  but  costs  money  for  one  to  purchase  for  their  own  personal  computer  and  take  off-­‐campus.  For  example,  scientific  computing  makes  use  of  MATLAB,  many  engineering  courses  use  AutoCAD,  and  many  economics  courses  use  Stata.    Recognizing  the  difficult  situation  this  can  place  many  students  in,  Team  BGP  has  been  in  talks  with  Queen’s  Information  Technology  Services.  They  are  interested  in  making  this  software  available  in  the  cloud,  which  will  allow  students  to  access  it  with  their  personal  computers  wherever,  whenever,  through  the  Internet.  That  means  no  more  need  to  be  on  campus  in  labs  late  at  night  just  because  that’s  the  only  place  the  software  is  available  –  just  boot  up  your  computer  from  home,  login,  and  work  away.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Ensuring  Homecoming  is  Here  to  stay  

Team  BGP  will  work  to  ensure  that  Homecoming  is  once  again  a  tradition  that  continues  for  years  to  come.  

Team  BGP  is  extremely  excited  that  Homecoming  is  returning  this  fall.  Homecoming  is  an  important  Queen’s  tradition,  and  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  working  to  ensure  that  it  is  here  to  stay.  The  university,  the  AMS,  Queen’s  Student  Alumni  Association,  and  the  Queen’s  University  Alumni  Association,  alongside  other  campus  groups,  will  be  working  together  to  make  the  weekends  a  success.  Connecting  students  and  alumni  via  a  paint  fun  run,  a  clubs  fair  to  showcase  student  groups,  and  crest  painting  are  all  ideas  that  have  been  put  forth  by  various  groups  so  far.  

Team  BGP  feels  that  is  important  to  stress  that  Homecoming  weekend  is  all  about  alumni  coming  home.  For  students,  we  have  to  keep  in  mind  that  one  day  we  too  will  be  alumni,  and  to  guarantee  that  we  will  be  able  to  come  home  we  need  to  work  now  to  preserve  this  tradition.  Ensuring  that  the  weekend  focuses  on  alumni  is  important:    The  AMS  needs  to  take  an  active  role  in  providing  programming,  interacting  with  alumni,  and  working  to  have  successful  Homecoming  weekends.    We  will  work  with  our  own  services  so  that  they  have  sufficient  staff  and  will  look  at  offering  programming  in  order  to  support  the  influx  of  alumni.  Furthermore,  we  will  work  with  local  business  downtown  to  provide  Homecoming  events  for  various  groups.  We  also  believe  strongly  that  Homecoming  is  a  great  opportunity  for  students  to  network  with  alumni  and  learn  about  different  job  opportunities  and  career  paths  after  graduating  from  their  programs.  To  this  end,  we  will  organize  opportunities  for  student-­‐alumni  interaction.    Finally,  Team  BGP  will  have  the  Student  Maintenance  and  Resource  Team  (SMART)  out  and  working  in  the  University  District  consistently  throughout  the  two  weekends.  SMART  will  ensure  that  the  University  District  is  as  tidy  and  as  well  cared  for  as  possible.  Having  the  University  District  in  a  clean  state  will  promote  a  positive  image  of  the  event  for  both  the  Alumni  and  the  City.  We  further  hope  that  our  effort  in  keeping  it  clean  will  promote  conscientiousness  among  other  students  as  well.          

 

 

 

Founding  of  The  Arts  Council    Team  BGP  will  support  the  arts  community  at  Queen’s  by  facilitating  the  interaction,  mutual  support  and  lobbying  platform  of  arts-­‐based  groups.    Team  BGP  will  develop  an  Arts  Council  for  the  variety  of  fine  art,  drama,  dance,  fashion,  written  and  music  groups  on  campus.  This  would  be  a  good  opportunity  for  arts  groups  to  develop  strategies  to  cross-­‐promote,  share  resources,  address  concerns,  and  collaborate  on  projects.    This  would  also  facilitate  the  hiring  processes  and  increase  applicant  pools  for  arts  groups  on  campus.  This  council  would  be  facilitated  through  the  Campus  Activities  Commission.  This  would  also  be  an  excellent  way  for  the  AMS  to  become  more  aware  of  issues  faced  by  the  arts  community  at  Queen’s  and  will  allow  us  to  advocate  and  support  in  an  informed  manner.  We  would  also  ensure  that  the  group  would  liaise  with  (and  ideally  have  a  representative  from)  the  Kingston  Arts  Council.    The  establishment  of  an  arts  council  would  be  an  essential  first  step  in  giving  the  arts  on  campus  a  more  powerful  platform  for  advocacy  and  lobbying  within  the  AMS  and  Queen’s  as  a  whole.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proactively  support  the  needs  of  student  societies  

 Team  BGP  is  not  only  committed  to  supporting  all  of  its  constituent  organizations,  but  to  engaging  in  a  series  of  procedures  that  will  allow  us  all  to  share  best  practices  and  to  take  advantage  of  the  AMS'  resources  as  much  as  possible.    The  AMS  and  the  student  societies  on  campus  –  faculty  societies,  residence  societies,  and  clubs  -­‐  are  crucial  drivers  of  student  activity  on  campus.  From  being  a  don  to  running  an  orientation  week  to  lobbying  the  Queen's  administration  to  participating  in  Model  Parliament  there  are  countless  ways  to  get  involved  in  the  Queen’s  community.  Not  only  do  all  of  these  societies  act  to  make  campus  life  better,  but  they  also  offer  opportunities  for  students  to  engage  with  their  student  community  and  learn  skills  not  attainable  in  the  classroom.    Recognizing  the  crucial  importance  of  these  organizations,  it  is  our  belief  that  the  AMS  is  at  its  best  when  it  acts  as  an  umbrella  organization  –  a  facilitator  of  other  societies'  initiatives.  Therefore,  it  needs  to  take  a  proactive  stance  in  helping  student  organizations  serve  their  members  as  best  they  can  and  as  efficiently  as  possible.  As  such,  Team  BGP  will  undertake  the  following  initiatives:  

1. We  will  develop  an  FAQ  that  explicitly  outlines  to  all  student  executives  how  to  make  use  of  AMS  resources.  For  example,  those  seeking  guidance  on  how  to  lobby  their  respective  faculty's  administration  would  be  directed  to  the  AMS  Executive;  those  seeking  information  on  how  to  better  finance  their  own  initiatives  would  be  directed  to  our  funds;  those  seeking  how  to  formulate  policy  on  a  specific  subject  would  be  directed  to  our  Commissioner  of  Internal  Affairs;  etc.  

2. We  will  facilitate  the  sharing  of  best  practices  and  resources  by  hosting  more  roundtables  between  clubs  that  aim  towards  similar  goals  and  by  housing  online  discussion  forums  for  student  leaders  to  do  so  outside  of  the  meeting  environment.  This  will  enable  different  societies  on  campus,  including  the  AMS  itself,  to  see  how  other  organizations  fulfill  their  mandate  and  will  allow  them  to  learn  how  to  do  common  activities  better,  driving  efficiency  upwards  across  the  board  

3. We  will  facilitate  campus  wide  professional  development  by  not  only  continuing  to  invite  society  leaders  to  our  training  sessions,  but  by  also  holding  new  professional  development  sessions  for  them  in  the  Fall  term  

4. We  will  work  with  the  University  to  shorten  the  time  it  takes  for  student  societies  to  receive  their  student  fee  money  

5. Further  to  that  point,  we  will  change  all  grants  so  that  they  are  accessible  to  all  faculty  societies  and  clubs,  regardless  of  when  their  fiscal  year  begins  and  ends.  This  will  enable  societies  like  the  Aesculapian  and  MBA  Societies  to  have  access  to  any  AMS  grant  for  their  events  regardless  of  when  they  hold  them  

 

 

Student  Property  Rental  and  Security  Consulting  for  Housing  

Team  BGP  recognizes  the  importance  of  students  finding  proper,  secure  housing  and  will  expand  the  current  mandate  of  a  MAC  committee  to  assist  students  in  finding  these  areas.    Team  BGP  would  like  to  expand  the  mandate  of  the  Student  Property  Assessment  and  Dwelling  Education  (SPADE)  committee,  to  include  property  rental  consulting  and  house  security  checks.  Selecting  housing  is  a  tricky  job  and  can  be  very  overwhelming  when  trying  to  factor  in  so  many  issues  such  as  how  far  away  you  want  to  live,  how  much  rent  you  want  to  pay,  what  kinds  of  appliances  you  want  included  etc.  With  all  of  these  factors  to  consider,  it  is  easy  to  overlook  issues  around  property  standards.  For  this  reason,  we  will  have  volunteers  available  to  accompany  students  while  they  go  for  their  appointments  to  look  at  properties.  The  volunteer  will  be  able  to  point  out  initial  issues  with  the  homes  which  they  students  can  discuss  with  the  landlord  to  find  out  the  timeline  for  repairs  (or  if  there  is  one),  and  then  make  an  informed  decision  about  renting  the  property.      Secondly,  we  will  have  volunteers  work  with  the  Kingston  Police  Department  and  Campus  Security  to  understand  different  risks  that  make  a  house  more  susceptible  to  break  ins.  For  example  the  volunteers  would  look  for  windows  with  broken  locks,  burnt  out  porch  lights,  garbage  cans  under  windows  which  make  them  easier  to  climb  into  and  other  such  security  concerns.  The  team  would  then  make  recommendations  to  the  tenants  which  could  help  to  protect  their  homes  and  possessions.    Further,  during  the  holiday  season  and  reading  week,  we  will  work  with  Campus    Security  to  increase  the  frequency  of  patrols  in  the  University  District.  

 

 

 

 

 

     

Pillar  #4  Academics  and  

Employment  Skills      

1. Campus  Entrepreneurship  Opportunities  2. Student  volunteerism,  employment,  and  job  skills  3. Finding  Scholarships  Easier  -­‐  the  Scholarship  Calculator  4. Auditing  and  Reducing  Peripheral  Course  Fees  

   

Growing  Campus  Entrepreneurship  Opportunities  

 Team  BGP  is  committed  to  bolstering  campus  entrepreneurship  by  advocating  a  cultural  shift  at  Queen’s,  establishing  a  network  of  entrepreneurial  community  members,  and  lobbying  to  bring  more  faculties  into  the  Queen's  Summer  Innovation  Institute.    Given  the  increasing  economic  demand  for  high-­‐skilled  work  and  industries,  the  Kingston  Community  and  Queen’s  University  can  capitalize  through  the  development  of  an  entrepreneurial  culture  on  campus.  We  have  tens  of  thousands  of  people  with  countless  good  ideas  at  this  university;  we  seek  to  spark  the  cultural  flame  that  gets  people  taking  their  ideas  to  fruition.  Noting  the  potential  benefits  for  students  of  Queen’s,  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  doing  the  following:  

1. The  AMS  is  at  the  table  with  an  informal  group  of  community  individuals  who  have  run  very  successful  businesses.  We  will  work  to  expand  on  these  connections  and  develop  a  network  of  community  individuals  for  students  at  large  to  connect  with  for  resources  and  mentorship.  We  will  summarize  these  resources  in  a  guide,  to  be  prominently  publicized  on  the  AMS  website  

2. We  will  work  with  the  Aesculapian  Society  and  the  Computing  Students’  Association  to  lobby  the  School  of  Medicine  and  School  of  Computing  (respectively)  to  become  new  partners  in  the  Queen’s  Summer  Innovation  Institute,  a  summer  program  devoted  to  cultivating  start-­‐up  companies  that  is  jointly  run  by  the  School  of  Business  and  Faculty  of  Applied  Science  &  Engineering  

3. We  will  explore  ways  to  make  entrepreneurship  an  embedded  part  of  the  Queen’s  experience,  much  as  it  is  at  universities  such  as  Stanford  in  the  United  States  and  Waterloo  in  Ontario.  Though  a  difficult  and  nebulous  task,  one  starting  point  will  be  to  have  it  included  as  a  subject  within  the  Queen’s  Academic  Plan  

4. We  will  maintain  communication  with  the  Queen’s  Innovation  Connector  -­‐  a  leading  developer  of  entrepreneurial  activity  on  campus  -­‐  to  help  them  as  much  as  possible  in  their  goals,  including  maintaining  positive  relations  with  Queen’s  Innovation  Park  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student  Volunteerism,  Employment,  and  Job  Skills  

 Team  BGP  will  work  to  facilitate  student  employment  and  professional  development.    Team  BGP  recognizes  the  importance  of  facilitating  student  employment  in  the  middle  of  a  weak  global  economic  situation.  Whether  it’s  job-­‐related  skills  building,  mentoring,  or  networking,  the  classroom  experience  leaves  something  to  be  desired  in  these  times.  With  the  commoditization  of  the  undergraduate  degree,  there  is  more  need  now  than  ever  for  a  diversity  of  experiences  to  set  one  apart  in  the  job  market.  As  such,  we  will  do  the  following:  

1. We  will  work  with  Career  Services  to  organize  more  job  fairs  that  cover  a  variety  of  disciplines  

2. In  tandem  with  the  Office  of  Advancement,  we  will  develop  and  publicize  a  tool  that  allows  students  to  connect  with  alumni  who  have  identified  themselves  as  being  interested  in  sharing  with  current  students  their  experiences,  knowledge,  and  tips  for  the  job  market  

3. We  will  work  with  the  Queen’s  Student  Alumni  Association  to  connect  students  with  alumni  while  on  exchange  

4. We  will  work  with  the  Office  of  Student  Affairs  to  publicize  their  co-­‐curricular  database,  which  lists  all  volunteer  opportunities  throughout  the  university  

5. We  will  work  to  host  personal  finance  workshops  with  local  firms  and  interested  MBA  students  

6. We  will  actively  publicize  Queen’s  Student  Alumni  Association  workshops  which  cover  subjects  such  as  resume  writing,  interview  skills,  and  managing  social  media  presence  

 

 

 

 

 

Making  Scholarships  Easier  -­‐  the  Scholarship  Calculator  

Team  BGP  recognizes  that  the  bureaucracy  surrounding  student  financial  assistance  makes  it  difficult  to  know  which  scholarships  a  student  is  eligible  to  apply  for.  We  will  work  with  the  Registrar  to  develop  a  software  utility  that  dramatically  simplifies  this  process.    Given  the  increasing  cost  of  education,  it  is  becoming  more  and  more  difficult  for  a  student  to  fund  their  undergraduate  degree.  Scholarships  are  a  good  way  of  helping  out,  but  the  way  that  they  are  set  up  at  Queen’s  makes  it  very  difficult  and  time  consuming  to  determine  which  ones  you  are  eligible  to  apply  for.  As  a  result  much  scholarship  money  is  left  unallocated  from  year  to  year  and  many  students  aren’t  getting  the  full  range  of  financial  assistance  available  to  them.    As  such,  Team  BGP  will  work  with  Student  Awards  to  implement  a  web  utility  that  simplifies  this  process  -­‐  a  scholarship  calculator  of  sorts.  We  envision  that  the  calculator  will  ask  you  for  a  set  of  information  and  combine  it  with  your  SOLUS  records  to  search  this  database  and  produce  the  names  of  all  scholarships  that  you  can  apply  for.  Applying  would  then  be  a  simple  matter  of  saying  yes!    By  doing  this,  students  will  have  a  far  easier  time  acquiring  financial  assistance  that  will  make  the  growing  costs  of  education  more  manageable.  

 

 

 

   

 

   

Auditing  and  Reducing  Peripheral  Course  Fees  

Team  BGP  believes  that  ancillary  fees  are  an  unjust  circumvention  of  Ontario  Government  policy,  and  will  undertake  a  full  audit  of  Queen's  course  offerings  to  find  these  fees  and  have  as  many  removed  as  possible.  

Ancillary  Fees  are  any  fees,  aside  from  the  initial  tuition  payment,  which  are  assessed  to  a  student  in  order  to  participate  in  or  complete  a  course  (ex.,  lab  fees  or  mandatory  field  trip  fees).  Although  they  violate  provincial  policy,  ancillary  fees  are  still  consistently  administered  in  many  programs.  

Currently,  the  AMS  Academic  Affairs  Commissioner  is  working  with  the  administration  on  the  ancillary  fees  assessed  to  Education  students.  Team  BGP  will  complete  a  full  review  to  find  all  programs  that  are  currently  assessing  these  fees.  Once  this  is  complete  we  will  strongly  lobby  for  these  fees  to  be  removed  –  not  only  are  they  not  allowed,  they  are  a  disadvantage  to  students.  

 

 

   

                             

       

         

 

 

 

         

Commission  Reviews  

                                             

Academic  Affairs  Commission    The  Academic  Affairs  Commission  works  to  ensure  that  the  AMS  keeps  academic  issues  at  the  forefront  of  our  advocacy  work.  The  commissioner  sits  on  various  senate  academic  committees  and  well  as  a  number  of  general  university  academic  committees.  Further  the  commission  oversees  several  academic-­‐related  committees.    First,  Team  BGP  understands  that  this  year  will  be  the  assembly  vote  to  confirm  or  reject  our  external  alignment  with  the  Ontario  Undergraduate  Student  Alliance.  Therefore,  it  is  extremely  important  the  Special  Committee  on  External  Alignment  produces  a  comprehensive  report  to  present  to  assembly  members  so  that  they  may  make  an  informed  decision  –  We  will  ensure  that  this  takes  place.    Team  BGP  recognizes  that  there  will  be  a  provincial  election  in  the  upcoming  year.  It  is  important  to  ensure  that  students  are  informed  of  the  issues  and  that  the  voting  process  is  easily  understood.  We  are  committed  to  organizing  an  on-­‐campus  debate  for  students  to  attend  and  hear  firsthand  about  the  issues  and  party  platforms.  We  will  have  a  comprehensive  advertising  campaign  so  that  students  know  how  and  when  they  can  vote  as  well  as  how  to  access  information  about  the  various  campaigns.    We  will  also  run  a  comprehensive  campaign  regarding  the  Academic  Grievance  Centre.  This  centre,  despite  being  a  good  resource  for  students,  is  still  widely  unknown.  We  hope  that  through  an  increased  push  in  advertising,  the  AGC  will  be  able  to  help  more  students  deal  with  various  academic  grievance  issues.      

 

 

 

     

Campus  Activities  Commission    The  Campus  Activities  Commission  provides  students  with  extracurricular  activities  and  events  revolving  around  politics,  arts,  sports  and  other  interests.  The  commission  also  oversees  NEWTS  (New,  Exchange,  Woohoo  Transfer  Students)  Week,  FYNIRS  (First  Years  Not  in  Residence)  and  the  Orientation  Round  Table,  which  in  turn  oversees  the  various  other  Orientation  weeks.  The  commissioner  also  sits  on  various  committees  such  as  the  Senate  Orientation  Activities  Review  Board,  the  Alcohol  Working  group,  and  the  new  Homecoming  Planning  Committee.    Orientation  Week  and  the  traditions  that  come  along  with  it  are  extremely  important  to  Team  BGP.  We  will  make  certain  that  the  Orientation  Round  Table  (and  through  that  avenue,  the  various  orientation  weeks)  are  fully  supported  and  know  that  they  have  an  executive  standing  behind  them  who  are  extremely  passionate  about  Orientation  Week.  We  will  ensure  that  the  representatives  on  the  Senate  Orientation  Activities  Review  Board  are  fully  prepared  prior  to  each  senate  meeting  and  are  comfortable  engaging  with  administration.  In  this  way  we  will  work  to  protect  student  traditions  and  keep  Orientation  Week  student-­‐run.  Furthermore,  we  will  make  applying  for  the  noise  exemption  permit  for  the  Frosh  Concert  on  campus  a  priority  in  order  to  have  time  to  deal  with  any  issues  that  may  arise  and  to  engage  with  the  city  if  needed.    Finally,  we  will  work  with  the  ORT  in  order  to  accommodate  and  plan  accordingly  for  Rosh  Hashanah.    Team  BGP  is  also  committed  to  the  creation  of  an  Event  Planning  Resource  Officer  within  the  CAC.  This  person  would  be  there  as  a  resource  to  groups  such  as  clubs,  faculty  society  committees,  and  individuals  who  are  interested  in  running  events  on  campus  and  in  the  community.  They  will  be  well-­‐versed  in  available  funding  such  as  grants,  advertising  avenues  and  their  associated  costs,  spaces  in  which  events  can  be  held  and  how  to  book  them,  how  to  access  catering,  and  a  variety  of  other  resources.  They  would  also  be  able  to  advise  groups  of  any  additional  resources  within  the  AMS  which  may  be  of  use  to  said  group  or  individual.  This  is  a  role  which  the  Commissioner  often  fills  at  this  point,  however  the  creation  of  a  position  would  allow  more  availability  for  event  consultations,  as  well  as  allow  the  Commissioner  to  focus  on  other  projects,  while  still  having  a  centralized  resource  person.    Furthermore,  this  officer  would  work  proactively  to  reach  out  to  student  groups  and  offer  assistance,  work  closely  with  the  Clubs  Manager,  and  work  to  update  the  Event  Planning  Guide.      

 

   

Commission  of  Environment  and  Sustainability    The  newest  of  the  six  Commissions,  the  CES,  has  been  taking  steps  to  solidify  themselves  in  many  ways  after  having  evolved  from  the  Sustainability  Office.  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  the  continued  growth  of  the  Commission  in  the  coming  year.  Furthermore,  we  will  continue  to  work  with  the  entire  AMS  as  well  as  the  University  to  ensure  that  we  are  all  functioning  in  as  sustainable  a  manner  as  possible,  with  particular  focus  on  working  with  the  Queen’s  Climate  Action  Plan.  We  are  also  interested  in  the  pursuit  of  the  installation  of  the  bike  share  program  on  campus  and  in  the  Kingston  community  and  will  pick  up  this  project  and  negotiations  where  Team  JDL  leaves  it  off  this  coming  May.    There  are  two  new  aspects  which  Team  BGP  would  like  to  introduce  to  the  CES.  The  first  is  revolving  around  the  Bike  Shop.  We  will  commit  to  adding  longboard  and  skateboard  repairs  to  the  purview  of  the  shop.  Such  repairs  would  include  cleaning  and/or  replace  the  bearings  and  wheel  rotations.  Further  we  will  set  up  mobile  repair  sites  throughout  the  first  half  of  spring  semester  and  second  half  of  winter  semester  at  University  and  Union  on  a  regular  basis.  

 Secondly,  we  will  have  the  Commissioner  work  alongside  the  Student  Centre  Officer  and  Physical  Plant  Services  to  ensure  that  the  Student  Life  Centre  Buildings  are  as  sustainable  as  possible.    This  review  will  look  at  the  areas  in  which  we  can  make  repairs  and/or  introduce  new  ideas  to  the  buildings.  For  example,  we  currently  lose  a  large  amount  of  heating  through  the  windows  in  JDUC  and  a  worthwhile  initiative  would  be  window  replacements,  both  to  improve  sustainability  and  cut  operational  costs.  Further,  as  a  24/7  building,  the  JDUC  lights  are  consistently  on.  We  would  like  to  investigate  the  installation  of  sensor  lights  throughout  our  buildings.        

 

 

 

 

 Commission  of  Internal  Affairs    The  CIA  oversees  4  main  internal  components:  Elections,  Assembly,  Clubs,  and  the  Non-­‐Academic  Discipline  system  (NAD).  Clubs  and  NAD  are  overseen  by  the  Clubs  Manager  and  the  Judicial  Affairs  Director,  respectively.  In  the  past  couple  of  years,  there  has  been  a  lot  of  heavy  debate  regarding  the  NAD  system  between  the  AMS  and  the  university.  Now  that  an  agreement  has  once  again  been  reached  with  the  university,  there  are  still  two  issues  unresolved  which  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  helping  with.  The  first  is  creating  a  framework  for  group  discipline,  and  the  second  is  the  release  of  results  from  going  through  the  NAD  system  to  grad  student  applications.  Team  BGP  will  work  with  the  team  currently  in  place,  as  well  as  consult  with  the  various  other  non-­‐academic  discipline  systems  on  campus  to  ensure  that  a  solution  is  reached  by  September  2013  at  the  latest.    Team  BGP  would  like  to  commend  the  work  of  the  clubs  manager  in  beginning  to  create  an  internal  database  of  the  clubs  which  has  information  on  things  such  as  various  grants  received  over  the  years,  the  club  mandate,  and  the  past  executives.  We  feel  strongly  about  continuing  this  process  so  that  we  have  a  documented  history  of  our  clubs  as  well  as  their  funding.  Furthermore,  this  process  allows  the  clubs  manager  to  confirm  for  job  or  school  application  purposes  if  someone  has  been  a  chair  of  a  club  and  in  what  year.  We  will  also  work  to  help  clubs  plan  events  and  reach  resources  through  the  Event  Planning  Resource  Officer  in  the  Campus  Activities  Commission,  who  will  proactively  reach  out  to  clubs  and  update  the  Event’s  planning  guide.  As  well,  Team  BGP  is  committed  to  consistent  and  effective  communication  with  our  clubs.    Finally  we  will  endeavour  to  have  the  Commissioner  of  Internal  Affairs  work  more  closely  with  faculty  societies  and  clubs  who  wish  to  develop  policy  and  constitutions.  The  commissioner  will  be  able  to  advise  various  groups  on  policy-­‐writing  strategies  and  creation.      

 

 

 

 

Municipal  Affairs  Commission    The  MAC  provides  the  essential  link  between  Queen’s  and  the  greater  Kingston  community.  The  commission  works  on  various  municipal  issues  affecting  students,  as  well  as  oversees  a  number  of  opportunities  for  students  to  go  out  into  the  community  and  make  a  difference.  As  a  team  with  a  Kingstonian  member,  it  is  extremely  important  to  Team  BGP  that  we  have  strong  Town-­‐Gown  relations  in  which  both  parties  are  working  together  towards  a  common  good.  However,  with  that  in  mind,  we  will  fight  for  the  rights  of  students  and  take  a  firm  stand  against  policies  which  clearly  disadvantage  our  constituents.    First,  Team  BGP  has  recognized  that  the  city’s  “one  bag”  garbage  bag  policy  has  not  only  disadvantaged  students,  but  it  has  also  been  ineffective  in  reducing  waste.  Residents  are  simply  either  buying  garbage  bag  tags  that  enable  them  to  throw  out  additional  bags  of  garbage,  or  else  are  disposing  of  garbage  in  other  ways,  such  as  piling  it  around  public  trash  cans  in  areas  such  as  Victoria  Park.  The  first  of  solution  is  simply  costing  students  more  money,  and  the  second  is  both  creating  a  mess  in  our  public  parks,  as  well  as  creating  more  work  for  city  employees  who  need  to  pick  up  all  the  waste.  Team  BGP  is  proposing  a  two  part  solution.  We  will  work  to  lobby  the  city  to  repeal  the  policy  and  look  at  additional  waste  diversion  programs  and  incentives.  Secondly,  until  such  time  as  this  policy  is  lifted,  we  will  rent  large  waste  bins  and  place  them  in  areas  accessible  to  students  at  key  times  during  the  year,  such  as  move-­‐in,  move-­‐out,  before  the  holiday  break  and  before  reading  week,  giving  students  a  place  to  dispose  of  garbage  in  a  manner  which  will  neither  place  additional  cost  on  individual  houses,  nor  serve  to  fill  the  parks  and  public  areas  with  garbage.    Team  BGP  recognizes  concerns  with  housing  standards  in  the  University  District.  In  particular,  many  students  raise  concerns  with  Queen’s  Community  Housing.  There  are  issues  with  property  standards,  relations  with  the  tenants,  and  with  having  repairs  finished.  Team  BGP  intends  to  lobby  Queen’s  Community  Housing  and  work  with  them  to  be  excellent  examples  for  other  landlords.  Further,  we  will  work  to  encourage  Community  Housing  to  have  at  least  one  accessible  house  for  students  to  move  in  to.    

 

 

 

 

Social  Issues  Commission  

Established  in  1996,  the  Social  Issues  Commission  works  to  engage  with  equity  issues  and  provide  anti-­‐oppression  education  and  opportunities  at  Queen’s  and  in  the  community.  The  commission  runs  and  operates  13  committees  and  2  services  (i.e.,  the  Food  Centre  and  the  AMS  Peer  Support  Centre).  The  commissioner  sits  on  various  equity  committees  through  the  University  and  the  AMS  in  order  to  engage  on  a  higher  level  with  equity  concerns  and  policy  and  to  advocate  to  ensure  that  both  the  University  and  the  AMS  are  truly  meeting  the  needs  of  our  diverse  population  of  students.  Team  BGP  will  continue  to  support  the  work  of  the  committees  and  ensure  that  the  committees  can  access  all  necessary  resources.    Team  BGP  will  continue  to  support  the  Food  Centre’s  efforts  to  be  sustainable  through  buying  local  products  and  gardening  initiatives.  Further,  we  will  re-­‐negotiate  the  financial  contributions  of  the  AMS  and  the  SGPS  to  the  Food  Centre  in  order  to  ensure  that  we  are  fairly  covering  all  expenses  in  a  representative  manner.  Finally,  with  growing  volunteer  interest,  we  will  investigate  the  possibility  of  additional  hours,  as  well  as  a  volunteer  prep  shift  before  the  opening  of  the  centre  in  order  for  the  food  to  be  sorted,  separated,  and  put  away  as  soon  as  the  centre  opens  each  shift.    For  the  Peer  Support  Centre,  Team  BGP  would  like  to  commend  the  re-­‐structuring  and  efforts  to  change  policy  which  have  greatly  improved  the  effectiveness  and  safety  of  the  centre  itself.  We  will  continue  along  the  route  currently  being  embarked  upon  and  strive  to  improve  the  centre  and  to  serve  students  in  the  best  way  possible.  Further,  we  would  like  to  provide  the  Director,  as  well  as  possibly  the  management  team  with  more  training,  on  top  of  what  they  receive.  We  will  expand  upon  the  regular  training  and  Mental  Health  First  Aid  to  include  training  specifically  around  Crises  Intervention  and  Stress  Management,  which  is  available  through  the  Canadian  Mental  Health  Association.    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service  Reviews    

 

 

 

 

   

Hospitality  and  Safety  Services  

The  AMS  Pub  Services  (TAPS)    The  Queen’s  Pub  and  Alfie’s  are  often  considered  some  of  the  central  social  locations  on  the  Queen’s  campus.  These  spaces  offer  a  casual,  safe,  and  fun  atmosphere  that  focuses  solely  on  how  to  best  serve  our  student  customers.    The  Queen’s  Pub  has  been  a  very  consistent  performer,  financially  speaking,  and  is  always  a  popular  place  to  be  during  lunch,  dinner,  and  the  evening.  Formerly  known  as  “The  Quiet  Pub”  up  until  1997,  the  Queen’s  Pub  has  been  a  solid  enterprise  that  hasn’t  required  any  large  tweaks  to  its  normal  operations.    In  2010-­‐2011  when  a  pool  table  was  removed  in  order  to  accommodate  a  larger  number  of  students,  a  decision  that  has  led  to  increased  sales.    One  area  of  needed  growth  that,  in  consultation  with  the  Hospitality  and  Safety  Services  Director,  our  team  has  identified  is  the  necessity  to  increase  attendance  of  Alfie’s  on  certain  nights.  The  popularity  of  Alfie’s  often  fluctuates  from  year  to  year  and  can  be  extremely  difficult  to  predict.  This  year,  Alfie’s  has  featured  one  of  three  specific  themes  on  its  Friday  nights.  The  regularization  of  these  themes  within  monthly  parameters  has  been  successful  in  increasing  attendance  and  the  fiscal  success  of  these  nights.    Further  examination  of  best  practices  for  Monday  and  Wednesday  nights  is  needed.    TAPS  management  can  focus  on  additional  and  direct  marketing  to  have  a  high  impact  impression  on  potential  consumers.  

See  page  18  for  LGBTQ  Thursdays  at  Alfie’s.      

   

Hospitality  and  Safety  Services  

Common  Ground  (CoGro)    Common  Ground  is  another  preeminent  exam  of  students  serving  students.    With  a  comparatively  wide  selection  of  cafe  items,  ample  seating,  event  nights  and  places  to  study,  Common  Ground  is  more  than  a  corporate  service,  it  is  an  institutionalized  experience.  

With  a  location  change  from  the  JDUC  to  the  Queen’s  Centre  at  the  beginning  of  2010,  CoGro  has  been  steadily  reducing  its  financial  deficit  to  the  point  where  it  is  now  projected  to  make  a  surplus  in  the  current  financial  year.  With  a  strong  set  of  assistant  managers  and  a  fiscally-­‐sound  head  manager,  Team  BGP  would  like  to  acknowledge  the  many  successes  we’ve  seen  at  CoGro  this  year.    With  the  time  it  has  taken  to  make  the  incremental  improvements  necessary  to  make  this  service  project  a  surplus,  it’s  important  to  continue  emphasizing  this  service’s  dedication  to  consistency  and  quality  when  delivering  our  food  products.    Do  to  CoGro’s  increasing  financial  stability,  we  think  it  is  essential  to  leave  decisions  regarding  issues  like  menu  items  and  marketing  with  CoGro  management.    Should  management  deem  it  time  for  front  of  house  composting,  Team  BGP  would  strongly  support  this  decision  and  work  with  management  to  ensure  its  long  term  success.  

Common  Ground  Express  has  been  a  valuable  part  of  the  JDUC  for  the  time  that  it  has  operated,  providing  pre-­‐made  sandwiches  and  quick  pickup  products  for  passers-­‐by.  However,  with  the  opening  of  the  new  Tim  Horton’s  on  the  first  floor  of  the  JDUC  (a  more  accessible  area  than  where  CoGro  Express  is)  a  significant  threat  exists  to  CoGro  Express  and  saturation  of  this  particular  market.    As  outlined  on  page  16,  Team  BGP  plans  to  take  an  assertive  and  encompassing  approach  to  fully  differentiate  CoGro  Express  from  its  competitors  and  seek  out  an  untapped  market  on  campus.  

     

   

Hospitality  and  Safety  Services  

Walkhome    Walkhome  provides  students  with  the  public  good  of  safe  on-­‐foot  transportation  to,  from,  and  around  campus  and  the  surrounding  community.  It  has  become  an  essential  pillar  of  student  safety,  having  the  most  usage  of  any  similar  university  service  in  Canada.    We  are  strong  supporters  of  the  service  and  its  mandate  to  be  anonymous,  non-­‐judgemental,  and  discrete.  Additionally,  it  has  become  home  to  a  strong  community  of  walkers  who  facilitate  a  campus  atmosphere  of  safety  and  friendliness.  

Due  to  the  fact  that  this  service  is  primarily  funded  by  student  fees  and  grants,  it  has  always  been  extremely  important  to  budget  this  service  as  close  to  zero  as  possible.    Students  have  entrusted  the  AMS  in  managing  this  mandatory  student  fee,  so  it  is  incredibly  important  to  fully  and  responsibly  utilize  this  fee.  

Walkhome  recently  invested  in  fifteen  new  digital  walkie-­‐talkies  that  will  allow  this  service  to  effectively  communicate  with  walk  teams  and  ensure  their  safety.  

Walkhome  has  been  continuously  emphasizing  its  dedication  to  improving  its  client  focus  at  the  Walkhome  Desk  in  the  Lower  Ceilidh  area.    We  believe  these  efforts  are  well  founded,  and  support  the  management  team  in  their  continued  effort  in  this  area  of  potential  growth.  

We  want  to  assure  that  Walkhome  continues  to  follow  and  expand  on  the  implementation  of  its  three  core  principles  to  be  anonymous,  non-­‐judgemental,  and  discrete.    We  want  to  focus  marketing  on  aspects  of  the  service  such  as  the  supportive,  non-­‐assumptive,  non-­‐judgemental  nature  of  its  staff  and  emphasize  it  as  a  safety  (rather  than  social)  service  to  decrease  wait  times  in  peak  hours.  

       

   

Hospitality  and  Safety  Services    

Queen’s  Student  Constables    The  Queen’s  Student  Constables,  or  StuCons,  are  an  essential  service  on  campus  that  embodies  the  novel  idea  of  students  keeping  students  safe.    This  peer  to  peer  model  rightfully  is  a  source  of  pride  for  our  school.    StuCons  work  to  ensure  our  students  and  community  are  safe  by  upholding  AMS,  University  and  government  policy  at  sanctioned  events  on  campus.    Our  StuCons  ensure  a  balance  of  interests  in  their  understanding  that  everyone  wants  to  have  a  good  time,  but  need  to  do  so  in  a  safe  environment.  

With  a  recent  mandatory  student  fee  increase  from  $8.34  to  $10.17  at  the  AMS  Annual  General  Meeting  in  2012,  this  service  has  become  noticeably  more  sustainable  with  regards  to  financial  security.    That  said,  recent  legislation  has  posed  increased  constraints  on  the  service  that  threaten  the  service’s  long  term  sustainability.    In  the  2009-­‐2010  year,  the  province  of  Ontario  passed  legislation  that  drastically  altered  the  way  that  security  guards  are  licensed.  The  effect  of  these  changes  was  that  every  Student  Constable  that  was  hired  must  complete  an  even  larger  number  of  paid  training  hours.    Furthermore,  the  service  must  then  pay  a  flat  fee  in  order  to  become  a  licensed  security  guard.  

Unfortunately,  over  the  past  decade  a  degrading  culture  of  respect  towards  our  StuCons  has  been  observed.    Faced  with  a  daily  lack  of  respect  for  their  authority  (and  even  more  concerning,  a  trend  of  sexual  harassment  towards  our  student  security  service),  Queen’s  Student  Constables  is  struggling  with  the  retention  of  their  employees.    Understandably,  fewer  of  our  students  are  choosing  to  apply  for  this  service,  and  fewer  are  deciding  to  stay  with  the  service.  

The  culture  of  disrespect  for  these  student  employees  must  be  changed  in  order  to  provide  a  more  enjoyable  and  secure  working  environment  for  StuCons.  No  easy  answer  exists  on  how  to  change  this  too-­‐common  perception  of  the  ‘fun  police’.    Team  BGP  supports  an  extensive  review  of  the  service  so  that  the  AMS  can  better  understand  what  measures  need  to  be  in  place  to  rectify  the  issue.    The  AMS  can  specifically  work  on  a  rebranding  of  StuCons  appropriately  afterwards.  

There  also  exists  a  large  opportunity  to  compensate  StuCons  much  more  competitively  to  encourage  both  greater  recruitment,  as  well  as  greater  retainment.    We  suggest  raising  wages  not  only  of  new  students,  but  also  significantly  raising  the  compensation  of  returning  StuCons.    These  costs  would  be  largely  offset  by  both  the  (existing)  increased  StuCon  mandatory  student  fee,  as  well  as  no  longer  having  to  pay  the  massive  training  costs  of  a  largely  new  pool  of  employees  every  year.    With  so  many  events  on  the  line  with  this  strained  service,  Team  BGP  plans  to  make  Queen’s  Student  Constables  a  priority.  

Retail  Services  

The  Publishing  &  Copy  Centre  (P&CC)    The  P&CC  is  an  entirely  student-­‐run  service  that  responds  to  the  university’s  photocopying,  printing  and  design  needs.    The  P&CC  publishes  material  efficiently,  effectively  and  at  competitive  pricing.  

The  P&CC  is  often  one  of  the  largest  surplus  generating  services  that  the  AMS  has.    This  is  largely  due  to  the  high  number  of  coursepacks  that  are  ordered  by  professors  at  Queen’s.    Queen’s  has  recently  updated  its  copyright  policy  to  be  in  line  with  changes  to  the  Copyright  Act.    Professors  are  now  able  to  share  ten  percent  of  a  piece  of  copy-­‐written  material  with  their  class.    These  coursepacks  have  long  represented  roughly  50%  of  the  service’s  profit.  

As  we  have  seen  with  the  current  year,  even  more  reductions  in  orders  for  coursepacks  could  be  anticipated  for  the  next  year.    Additional  steps  must  be  taken  to  ensure  that  professors  continue  to  use  our  services  and  to  effectively  market  the  other  backroom  services  that  are  offered  to  students.  

It  is  important  that  we  recognise  that  as  materials  move  from  print  to  digital  formats  (as  well  as  the  shift  towards  reduced  paper  consumption),  the  market  of  print  materials  is  shrinking.    Team  BGP  feels  that  a  long  term  plan  must  be  made  in  order  to  account  for  this  decline  in  the  market  and  other  options  must  be  explored  in  order  for  the  service  to  be  fiscally  secure  and  viable  in  the  future.  

One  aspect  which  can  be  marketed  more  extensively  is  the  wide  format  printing.  Team  BGP  is  confident  that  a  marketing  campaign  around  idea  that  students  can  design  their  own  house  posters  would  be  a  successful  endeavour.    Furthermore,  students  flock  to  poster  sales  in  order  to  decorate  their  homes,  and  P&CC  could  capture  this  market.    Many  students  do  not  find  the  posters  that  they  are  looking  for  at  sales,  and  they  would  be  able  to  design  anything  they  would  like  and  print  it  off  for  a  competitively  low  price.  This  idea  of  marketing  custom  posters  could  help  to  bolster  the  sales  of  P&CC.  

     

Retail  Services  

Tricolour  Outlet    Tricolour  Outlet  has  been  a  strong  retail  service  that  offers  a  breadth  of  commercial  pursuits  for  students.    Whether  it  be  intercity  transportation,  clothing  merchandise,  textbook  consignment  or  school  supplies,  Tricolour  Outlet  offers  an  encompassing  set  of  options  that  cater  to  student  life.  As  one  of  the  newest  AMS  services  (which  was  amalgamated  from  Destinations,  the  Used  Bookstore,  and  Tricolour  Outfitters),  Tricolour  Outlet  is  still  making  adjustments  to  its  operations  and  products  to  effectively  serve  the  needs  of  its  customers.  This  year  Tricolour  is  projected  to  nearly  break  even,  a  major  accomplishment  considering  the  service  has  only  been  in  existence  since  2010.  

The  current  management  has  successfully  remodeled  nearly  every  aspect  of  operations,  a  feat  that  has  not  gone  unnoticed  to  our  team.    Of  particular  note  is  the  Tricolour’s  phenomenal  rebranding  with  the  team’s  focus  on  the  introduction  of  retro  designs  (all  made  in  house  by  the  purchasing  manager),  window’s  advertisements  and  marketing  to  first  years.  This  year  has  been  a  major  success  in  the  popularity  of  clothing  sales,  and  the  team  is  very  much  to  be  commended  for  their  efforts.  

Team  BGP  very  much  supports  the  plans  in  motion  to  document  Tricolour  procedure  for  the  effective  transition  of  the  outlet’s  newly  established  procedures  to  next  year’s  staff.  

Team  BGP  specifically  plans  to  examine  custom  clothing  orders,  an  area  of  much  potential  growth.    While  re-­‐examining  Tricolours  relationship  with  its  supplier  may  pose  potential  benefits  to  the  service,  Team  BGP  acknowledges  that  a  greater  level  of  support  and  collaboration  with  Clubs  Manager  would  be  incredibly  beneficial.    Outreach  for  greater  custom  clothing  orders  within  ratified  AMS  clubs  could  be  largely  effective  in  promoting  the  value  and  ease  of  this  service.  

With  plans  in  place  to  rejuvenate  the  Upper  Ceilidh  and  specifically  the  hallway  outside  Tricolour,  Team  BGP  is  confident  that  its  plans  for  the  JDUC  (including  the  establishment  of  The  Upper  Crust  next  door  to  Tricolour)  would  be  hugely  beneficial  by  increasing  foot  traffic  for  this  service.    

 

   

Media  Services  

Queen’s  TV  (QTV)    QTV  is  a  student  run  television  service  for  Queen’s  University  and  the  greater  Kingston  community.    With  an  increasing  shift  towards  online  content  and  The  Video  Factory  (an  in-­‐house  production  and  profitable  enterprise),  QTV  has  been  steadily  growing.    Last  year’s  establishment  of  QTV’s  Business  Manager  as  a  full-­‐time  position  was  a  proactive  decision  that  very  much  increased  QTV’s  potential  profitability.  QTV  has  been  a  long  under-­‐appreciated  asset  to  the  culture  of  Queen’s  campus.    With  the  service’s  growing  volunteer  base,  profitability  and  increase  in  quality  of  content,  the  service’s  growth  poses  a  number  of  new  needs  to  the  current  management  and  its  resources.  

QTV  very  much  needs  new  online  platforms  to  distribute  its  content.    New  marketing  and  branding,  much  of  which  Team  BGP  believes  could  be  successful  with  a  closer  collaboration  with  Media  Services  Director  and  the  position’s  newly  proposed  reduced  portfolio,  is  critical  to  meet  QTV’s  growing  needs.    A  greater  respect  for  the  service’s  editorial  autonomy  and  the  service  its  employees  and  volunteers  provide  is  a  priority  for  Team  BGP.    Our  team  strongly  encourages  and  supports  the  establishment  of  a  QTV  Editorial  Board  as  a  first  step  to  acknowledging  the  successes  this  service  has  earned.  

In  a  move  to  encourage  a  lesser  financial  dependence  on  Opt-­‐Outable  student  fees,  Team  BGP  advocates  for  a  greater  allocation  of  the  service’s  resources  to  The  Video  Factory.    With  the  depreciation  of  equipment  foreshadowing  future  capital  expenditures,  we  believe  the  potential  earning  power  of  The  Video  Factory  can  be  more  thoroughly  exploited  with  greater  support  from  the  AMS  council.    This  again  will  be  much  more  feasible  for  the  coming  year  with  the  shifting  portfolio  of  the  Media  Services  Director.  

   

Media  Services  

Yearbook  and  Design  Services  

YDS  has  for  several  years  been  providing  the  student  body  with  a  variety  of  media,  including  the  Tricolour  Agenda,  the  yearbook,  and  a  variety  of  event  photos  posted  to  their  social  media  outlets.  They  have  been  seeing  significant  success  in  providing  professional  photography  and  graphic  design  for  campus  events  of  all  varieties,  and  we  would  like  to  continue  to  expand  and  improve  on  this  service.  

Additionally,  we  want  to  continue  to  drive  synergy  between  yearbook  sales  and  convocation,  as  this  presents  a  solid  opportunity  for  a  Queen's  student  to  capture  their  experience  at  the  school  one  last  time  before  graduation.      

Media  Services  

Queen’s  Journal  

The  Queen's  Journal,  one  of  the  oldest  campus  newspapers  in  Canada,  has  a  storied  tradition  of  producing  high  quality  student  journalism  and  journalism  experience  to  students  that  cannot  be  found  in  the  classroom.    Team  BGP  believes  that  The  Journal  is  an  imperative  media  service  and  integral  institution  with  that  framework  of  campus  life  and  Queen’s  identity.    The  Journal  is  essential  not  only  for  the  opportunities  it  affords  students,  but  also  for  editorial  autonomy  and  its  subsequent  place  as  a  core  pillar  of  democracy.  

Print  media  at  large  has  been  going  through  a  transformation  as  of  late  with  a  shift  towards  digital  content.    Print  advertisement  however,  one  of  the  largest  sources  of  the  Journal’s  revenue,  is  also  a  diminishing  market.    Team  BGP  acknowledges  the  recent  financial  pressures  directly  posed  by  the  AMS  on  the  Journal  in  its  recent  withdrawal  of  its  much  print  advertisement  space  purchased  in  the  Journal’s  pages.    We  understand  this  decision  was  necessary  due  to  cuts  made  to  the  corporate  services’  advertisement  budgets.    As  such,  a  re-­‐evaluation  of  the  corporate  service’s  respective  budgets  will  be  critical  in  exploring  if  a  portion  of  this  budget  can  be  restored.  

Team  BGP  would  also  like  to  commend  the  Journal  on  its  moves  in  becoming  more  financially  independent.    We  recognize  these  efforts  are  symptomatic  of  the  longstanding  strength  of  JBoard  and  its  business  acumen.    What  that  in  mind,  BGP  believes  in  the  strength  of  The  Journal’s  management  and  pending  the  support  of  JBoard,  would  push  towards  a  greater  independence  for  the  service.  

   

Media  Services    

CFRC  

Under  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MOU)  signed  by  CFRC  management  and  the  AMS  Executive  of  2011-­‐2012,  the  CFRC  radio  station  will  be  separating  from  the  AMS  financially  as  of  May  1,  2013.  With  this  separation,  the  AMS  must  ensure  that  this  transitional  year  goes  smoothly.    Next  year’s  Media  Services  Director  (or  the  equivalent  2013/2014  position  title)  can  serve  as  an  asset  in  offering  council  to  next  year’s  management.    Furthermore,  extensive  aid  in  transitioning  Radio  Queen’s  University’s  representatives  into  the  positions  within  CFRC’s  management  infrastructure  currently  held  by  AMS  representatives  will  be  necessary.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Office  Reviews    

   

Communications  Office  

The  Communications  Office  has  seen  significant  growth  for  the  past  several  years,  evolving  into  a  cornerstone  of  the  AMS  branding  and  public  relations  efforts  (along  with  the  Marketing  Office).  One  masterstroke  of  an  idea  implemented  by  this  office  this  year  was  the  AMS  Blogs,  which  will  have  enormous  potential  in  terms  of  soliciting  student  feedback  on  major  issues.  To  continue  to  maximize  the  potential  of  this  office,  Team  BGP  will  do  the  following:  

• We  will  use  the  AMS  Blogs  to  engage  the  student  body  in  major  relevant  AMS  and  University  issues.  

• Together  with  the  Marketing  Office,  administer  the  variety  of  market  research  surveys  that  many  of  our  initiatives  will  require  (Health  &  Dental  revision,  JDUC  revitalization,  etc.)          

• Expand  efforts  to  communicate  to  the  students  the  diverse  array  of  services,  resources,  and  opportunities  that  the  AMS  can  offer  to  students.  

• Given  that  they  are  so  complementary  in  terms  of  day  to  day  work,  we  will  hire  this  position  together  with  the  Marketing  Officer  to  ensure  they  work  well  together  as  a  team.  

• Continue  to  publish  the  AMS  Annual  Report  

   

Marketing  Office  

The  Marketing  Office  is  another  relatively  new  office,  but  has  proved  to  be  of  incredible  use  to  produce  a  consistent  AMS  brand.  Additionally,  it  has  provided  the  AMS  with  the  ability  to  do  market  research  for  a  broad  array  of  issues  and  services,  and  spearheads  many  recruitment  and  advertising  initiatives  closely  with  the  Communications  Office.  To  move  this  office  forward,  Team  BGP  will:  

1. Augment  Marketing  Caucus  with  more  workshops  that  help  service  marketing  managers  to  do  their  jobs.  

2. Together  with  the  Communications  Office,  administer  the  variety  of  market  research  surveys  that  many  of  our  initiatives  will  require  (Health  &  Dental  revision,  JDUC  revitalization,  etc.)    

3. Continue  working  with  the  services  to  establish  a  professional  series  of  brands  that  are  instantly  recognizable  and  retained.  

4. Continue  and  expand  upon  work  done  in  the  past  few  years  on  an  AMS  orientation  week  strategy  as  early  as  possible  in  order  to  reach  a  larger  audience    

   

Human  Resources  Office  

The  Human  Resources  Office  is  truly  ubiquitous  in  the  number  of  different  organizations  it  works  with  in  the  AMS.  Whether  it's  recruitment  and  hiring,  discipline,  training,  and  other  professional  development,  this  office  forms  the  foundation  of  the  workforce  within  the  AMS.  The  recent  implementation  of  the  online  application  system  was  a  major  step  forward  for  efficiency,  but  Team  BGP  intends  to  take  it  a  step  further  by  doing  the  following:  

1. In  conjunction  with  the  Communications  and  Marketing  Offices,  expand  recruitment  of  the  IT  Manager  position  to  more  faculties  and  departments.  

2. Make  available  new  Fall  term  professional  development  sessions  for  all  incoming  clubs  chairs,  faculty  &  residence  society  executives  to  attend.  

 

 

   

Information  Technology  Office  

The  Information  Technology  Office  has  been  integral  to  the  operations  of  the  AMS,  providing  all  of  the  tools  we  use  daily  in  order  to  communicate  and  thus,  do  our  jobs.  There  are  still  some  improvements  to  be  made  in  order  to  ensure  long-­‐term  sustainability  of  the  office  and  of  AMS  information  technology  infrastructure,  and  as  such,  Team  BGP  will  do  the  following:    

1. Outsource  operations  of  the  IT  office  that  are  difficult  to  handle  in  a  yearly  turnover  environment.  

2. Perform  a  security  audit  of  the  AMS  systems.  3. Work  to  develop  the  main  AMS  website  as  outlined  in  the  rest  of  the  platform,  and  help  ensure  

that  there  is  consistency  in  usability  between  the  main  AMS  website  and  the  rest  of  the  AMS  service  websites.  

4. Re-­‐evaluate  IT  Rental  services  to  determine  its  strengths  and  focus  primarily  on  those.        

Student  Centre  Office  

The  Student  Centre  Office  has  been  instrumental  in  ensuring  the  continued,  smooth  operation  of  the  student  life  buildings  on  campus:  the  JDUC,  the  Queen's  Centre,  the  Grey  House,  and  Mac-­‐Brown  Hall.  Given  that  the  AMS  gained  administrative  control  of  these  buildings  two  years  ago,  there  has  been  tremendous  growth  in  this  office,  and  we  intend  to  see  it  continue  to  play  an  instrumental  role  in  providing  the  quality  space  necessary  for  so  much  of  student  life.  Additionally,  Team  BGP  will:  

1. Work  with  the  Student  Centre  Officer  to  ensure  that  allocation  of  designated  space  within  the  JDUC  is  done  efficiently  and  maximized.  We  will  explore  opportunities  to  procure  additional  spaces  from  the  other  two  stakeholders  in  the  JDUC  (SGPS,  Student  Affairs).  

2. In  conjunction  with  the  IT  Office,  unify  the  Student  Life  Centre  website  (including  online  booking  system)  with  the  AMS  website,  so  that  online  room  bookings  are  extremely  easy  to  find  and  use.  

3. Work  with  the  other  stakeholder  groups  in  the  Student  Life  Centre  (Student  Affairs,  SGPS)  to  contribute  to  a  renovation  of  the  performance  lounge  space  at  the  north  end  of  the  JDUC.  

4. Building  off  of  the  flooring  project  undertaken  this  year  in  the  JDUC,  continue  to  work  with  the  various  stakeholders  in  the  buildings  via  SLC  Council  and  through  outreach  to  various  building  users,  to  identify  more  projects  which  can  serve  to  improve  the  SLC  buildings,  aesthetically  as  well  as  functionally  and  which  promote  the  connection  of  our  buildings  and  SLC  brand.  

5. Plan  for  the  move  of  the  Performing  Arts  Office  to  the  Isabelle  Bader  Performing  Arts  Centre