The AMS 2024-25 consolidated budget was presented at the Corporate General Meeting on Nov. 18.
Presented by AMS Vice-President (Operations) Ayan Chowdhury, the consolidated budget, approved by the AMS Board of Directors, encompasses the Society’s offices, services, and commissions collectively. This academic year’s consolidated budget projects a $457,895 deficit driven by factors such as global inflation and the reopening of revitalized services like the Queen’s Pub (QP) and The Brew, according to Chowdhury.
Chowdhury noted this year’s budget reflects the AMS’s focus on accessible student jobs, experiential learning opportunities, and long-term organization sustainability.
The AMS deficit aligns with the trend from the past year where the projected deficit was $271,777 and the actual deficit for the 2023-24 year was $240,237 across the Society.
READ MORE: AMS projects a $271,777 deficit across society
Chowdhury sat down with The Journal to discuss the 2024-25 AMS operating budget and Society-wide initiatives.
“This is a budget, so this is our best guess at what would happen for the year. If we did everything we could possibly do correctly, we would have probably exactly hit this $457,895. […] The deficit is definitely an ongoing trend, and it is of some concern. So, we’re monitoring it, and we’re managing costs where we can,” Chowdhury said in an interview with The Journal.
Services
The service portfolio is projecting a $96,689 deficit this year.
Under Chowdhury’s management are 10 services, including the AMS Food Bank, Common Ground Coffeehouse (CoGro), Peer Support Centre, AMS Media Centre (AMC), The Queen’s Journal, Queen’s StuCons, QP, Tricolour Outlet, Walkhome, and The Brew, CoGro’s sister location set to re-open in the newly renovated JDUC in January.
READ MORE: AMS is almost done Brew-ing up its restored coffee shop
Chowdhury said the services aren’t designed to generate profit, even though some are considered self-sustaining or user-pay. Typically, these services are budgeted as a whole, aiming for a net zero surplus or deficit.
Two years ago, the AMS announced a merger between the Printing & Copy Centre (P&CC) and StudioQ. Together, they now operate as the AMC, budgeting $642,838 for the 2024-25 year.
READ MORE: StudioQ and P&CC undergoing merger with two-year timeline
The consolidated budget report confirms that CoGro and QP—which is set to reopen after a four-year closure—are projected to have the highest expenses out of all the services.
According to Chowdhury, CoGro is one of the longest-operating services, requiring a large staff of around 100 to 110 employees. It offers the largest number of job opportunities within the AMS, making personnel-related costs a significant portion of its total expenses, which amount to this year’s budgeted $1,077,515—an increase from last year’s actual $974,801.
A major factor contributing to the overall deficit is the yet-to-open QP which accounts for $221,869 of the services portfolio deficit.
“There’s a near $100,000 [services] deficit and the main driver in this is QP restaurant […] with it returning to the JDUC, it’s what you would call a startup. And with any startup, there are a lot of associated costs that you incur before you’re even open to the public,” Chowdhury said.
It’s crucial to have successful services where students enjoy themselves and receive the services they expect, especially in restaurants, Chowdhury said.
According to Chowdhury, the QP team believes the service will break even by 2027 and hopes it will stay on track to achieve this long after Chowdhury’s tenure.
Offices
The AMS offices, overseen by President Owen Rocchi, are partly funded by the mandatory AMS membership fee and an internal administrative fee collected from its services. These offices include Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Marketing Communications, Internal Affairs, and the Student Life Centre (SLC).
In line with previous years, the SLC is projected to incur the highest expenses in 2024-25, with a budgeted $328,367 this year—an increase of just over $30,000 compared to the previous figure of $295,454. The SLC team consists of roughly 30 individuals who manage bookable spaces on campus, and the projection includes overseeing spaces in the JDUC.
Notably, the AMS General Office expenses include audit fees, insurance, payroll, legal expenses, and, most significantly, personnel costs, which account for 71 per cent of the total expenses—amounting to $1,655,376. This figure is consistent with previous years, with personnel expenses covering the three AMS executives—President, Vice-President (Operations), and Vice-President (University Affairs)—and 15 permanent staff members.
“Without that group of people, we couldn’t offer the 800 paid and volunteer student positions we do on an annual basis. It’s always about the students. Students are at the heart of all decisions made,” Chowdhury said.
Governance
Under the jurisdiction of Vice-President (University Affairs) Ruth Osunde, governance includes oversight of six commissions: Social Issues Commission, Clubs Commission, Commission of External Affairs, Commission of Campus Affairs, Commission of Environmental Sustainability, and the newly recognized commission, Orientation Round Table. Governance also includes the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and the Vice-President (University Affairs) budget.
The operating budget report shows fall orientation expenses reached $629,060, slightly higher than last year’s actual $594,596. This increase is mainly due to new additions to the system, including the introduction of the new position which Chowdhury referred to as the “support team.”
“They [support teams] onboarded to help support orientation over the three weeks. So, from the beginning of leader training to the end of the second weekend—we refer to it as a support team,” Chowdhury said.
According to Chowdhury, during fall orientation there was a strong focus on training and providing food and beverages for leaders. Ensuring orientation leaders were well-nourished and hydrated was crucial for its success, indicating well-being as a priority for Chowdhury.
Tags
AMS, AMS Media Centre., Budget, CoGro, Corporate General Meeting, Queen's Pub, SLC, the Brew
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