Group plans Queen’s Centre move

AMS working group develops governance model for Dec.1 opening

AMS President Michael Ceci says the Queen’s Student Centre Working Group is looking at what to use empty spaces for when services move out of the JDUC.
Image by: Tyler Ball
AMS President Michael Ceci says the Queen’s Student Centre Working Group is looking at what to use empty spaces for when services move out of the JDUC.

The Queen’s Student Centre Working Group (QSCWG) is making sure students have a say when they move into the Queen’s Centre on Dec. 1, AMS President Michael Ceci said. Ceci said QSCWG’s current project is to create a governance structure model that will outline how the Student Life Centre in Phase One of Queen’s Centre is run.

“We’re talking about expanding the current JDUC office capabilities, we have a proposal for a completely AMS-run student life centre, [and] we’re looking at some hybrid models where there’s a liaison between the AMS and the student affairs office,” he said. “We’re weighing the strengths and weaknesses of these different models, what are the most feasible, what would serve students best and what would keep costs down.” Ceci said the governance structure model will cover all aspects of student life in the Queen’s Centre, including club spaces and food services.

“When Phase One of the Queen’s Centre opens in December, the Athletics and Recreation portion will be on its own,” he said, adding that the student life portion of the Queen’s Centre, including Common Ground, club spaces and food services will follow the existing JDUC model.

The JDUC model operates on an agreement between the University, the AMS and the Society of Graduate and Professional Students made in the late 1990s. It consists of operations in the student life centre such as room bookings, the welcome desk, maintenance requests and risk management, Ceci said. “We’re looking at how to structure a new framework to begin the structure in May 2010,” he said.

Ceci said QSCWG is also looking at what to use the empty spaces for when services move out of the JDUC.

The Common Ground and club spaces will move into the Centre. The AMS offices will remain in the JDUC.

He said student involvement has been important in every step of the process.

“Students have been involved all the way since the beginning,” he said. “They’ve been discussing … how they would contribute to the project and be able to inform administration and people within the University of how they would like to see this unfold.”

The Queen’s Centre Transition Working Group (QCTWG) is also working to prepare for the move-in on Dec. 1, AMS Vice President (Operations) Leslie Yun said.

Yun said the group was formed in April 2009 and is comprised of the AMS, SGPS and the Dean of Student Affairs office.

She said unlike QSCWG, which focuses on AMS concerns, the QCTWG focuses on the Centre’s operational, day-to-day concerns.

“We deal with issues like how to address security, furniture, building hours, garbage, compostors, and safety,” she said, adding the body isn’t a decision-making group. “We ask questions that need to be answered. We focus on transitional issues specifically in the Student Life Centre component.” Yun said QCTWG aims to resolve practical and logistical issues in the Queen’s Centre.

“We have been working primarily on access in the club spaces,” she said. “We speak with and look to resolve key access and furniture issues and logistical concerns related to that. We essentially highlight these issues and bring them to appropriate bodies so that they’re addressed.”

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