AMS Assembly honours Amin Nazari during February meeting

Despite pressure from Assembly members, students won’t be receiving a copy of President Jana Amer’s corporate credit card statements.

The Assembly took place in Wallace Hall, starting at 5:33 p.m. with a tribute to Amin Nazari, who passed away on Jan. 31. Nazari was a dedicated member of the Queen’s community, taking on many roles throughout his time at Queen’s, including this year as the Commerce Society (ComSoc) vice-president (operations) and a Residence Society house president. Six of Nazari’s friends offered kind words honouring his legacy, commenting on his unbreakable kindness, generosity, and humour.

“He always put other people first,” said Allen Wu, HealthSci ’25. “I’ll forever feel grateful to have been part of his journey. […] He’ll always be known as the most charismatic person I’ve ever met.”

Each speaker shared similar sentiments to Wu, remembering Nazari as a one-of-a-kind student, leader, and friend, and that he’ll be deeply missed by the community.

“Amin was, and always will be, a legend at Queen’s,” said Eileen Danaee, HealthSci ’25. “Not because of any title he held, but because of the countless lives he changed for the better, and the kindness he gave so freely without any expectation of return.”

Students seeking support for grief and loss were encouraged to contact Queen’s CARE services, Student Wellness Services, or the Faith and Spiritual Life Centre.

Following a moment of silence, the Assembly resumed at 6:30 p.m.

Guest speakers from the Queen’s Black Academic Society (QBAS) then gave a speech in honour of Black History Month. Co-President, Kiana Chabikuli, HealthSci ’27, began by introducing the Chabikuli-Linton Unity & Excellence Scholarship. The team also presented their annual Convergence conference, and the first-year experience of Black students.

Executive Reports, Observer Reports, and Student Statements

At 6:54 p.m., the Assembly began the process of approving the agenda, voting to add guest speakers to present on behalf of motion two.

During the executive reports, Amer then addressed the recent “uncertainty” and “confusion” circulating within the AMS since her credit card was set to zero. Amer apologized for any added stress and work she caused and expressed her gratitude to AMS members. She also shared that the AMS has been in discussions with the City of Kingston to ensure student consultation in the newly passed Student Housing Strategy.

Vice President (Operations), Elena Nurzynski, presented her report, congratulating the newly elected 2026-27 executive team, and informed the Assembly that she has begun preparing for the leadership transition.

On the other hand, Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa, through proxy Director of the Student Life Center Simarjeet Singh, made her executive report, sharing that planning for Faculty Society Games is underway, and discussions about installing solar panels on the JDUC have taken place. Rector Niki Boychuk-Hale spoke about Bill 33 in her report, saying she plans to write a letter outlining her position and asking leaders to sign on.

ResSoc President John Bae shared that discussions are underway about new TAM and meal options, as well as the creation of more residence-specific spaces.

Motions

Motion five requested that Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, Eshal Ali, and the General Manager of the AMS, Lyndon Smith, be allowed to speak on the second part of Motion five, which asked that the AMS Assembly receive the memo attached as Appendix X and X-2.  Smith attended the event but didn’t end up speaking to Assembly.

EngSoc President Jordan Belainsky, Sci ’26, asked why the motion was added late, thereby reducing members of the AMS’s opportunity to review it beforehand. Chair of the Board of Directors, Dreyden George explained that “there was no intention to do that,” explaining that materials were only finalized shortly before the meeting.

Motion five also approved an amendment merging the Teaching Award Committee and the Committee on External Alignment, while Motion Six presented AMS Awards procedural guidelines. Motion seven ratified.

Motion Seven asked that the Assembly ratify five clubs: Queen’s Black Tech, Queen’s University Biotech Innovation and Consulting Student Association, Queen’s Veg Club, Queen’s Vision Society, and Queen’s International Forest and Environmental Development.

Discussion Period

In the discussion period, which spanned an hour and fifteen minutes, Ali responded to the motion passed at the Jan. 28 Special Assembly that directed the AMS to identify the individuals or offices with the authority to release Amer’s credit card statement, and to make this information publicly available.

Ali explained that, after review, the Board determined that releasing line-by-line credit card statements “wouldn’t provide meaningful clarity,” instead pointing to the documents the Board already released at the previous Special General Assembly.

George then elaborated on the timeline, explaining that the card was initially frozen on Oct. 27 after George was informed about a “substantial delay” and “missing receipts.” The Board’s initial response was to consult its policies for next steps. It was two weeks later in November that he was informed of a “suspicion of possible use for personal expenses.”

He explained that the situation was largely unprecedented for the Board, but he worked with management and the accounting office to review the evidence and called for a closed session of the Board in early December, followed by ad hoc discussions through Dec. 12. The Board then requested further information during a meeting in early January.

The floor was then opened for discussion, and the period was extended by 15 minutes on four separate occasions.

ASUS President Ivana Drinziu then stated that she doesn’t believe the Board’s assertion that no student funds have been specifically misappropriated and emphasized the ongoing risk to transparency and accountability to the student body.

“If there was no corporate risk, then the credit card wouldn’t have been set to zero. […] I feel like this is a really lackluster explanation as to why the credit card statements aren’t being released,” Drinziu stated.

ASUS Rep to the AMS Allan Savini claimed that everything he had heard from the Board was “quite horrific,” and that the trust in AMS and student government has been eroded so much that “he wouldn’t blame them [students] for not ever voting again [in AMS elections].”

Throughout the discussion, Board members acknowledged procedural and accountability gaps, emphasizing that work’s underway to develop executive discipline and credit card purchasing policies, which will be available online.

Boychuk-Hale proposed that the Board hold a public consultation period. A motion moved by Savini then passed, requiring a 10-day consultation and a summary before the March 24 Assembly.

The Assembly and the Board agreed that policy should be implemented before the end of the term. Following some clarifying discussion, the motion passed, and the Assembly voted to extend the discussion period by 15 minutes for a final time. No new discussions were brought forward after the extension, and the Assembly was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Corrections

The Journal regrets the error

Tags

AMS Assembly, AMS Board of Directors, AMS credit card, statements, student politics

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