AMS fall referendum statements

The Journal provides free space for parties on the fall referendum ballot. All statements are unedited.

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Plebicite Questions

“Do you feel that over the course of your enrolment at Queens, you have been welcomed by, and felt a part of  the Kingston community?”

“Would you support efforts by the Queen’s community to permanently end the annual street party that occurs on Aberdeen Street during Homecoming weekend?”

“Do you agree, in principle, that the AMS should seek to join a suitable, nationally-focused student organization that lobbies the federal government on postsecondary education issues?”

Ban Righ Centre

Chances are a student in your class has kids, or has come to Queen’s from low-paid work or social assistance to improve her life prospects through education—or she may be a new Canadian who must re-qualify to work in Canada. You may have noticed she adds a fresh perspective to classroom discussions.

These are some of the Mature Students who need Ban Righ Centre bursaries.

Chances are her clothes aren’t the trendiest – she stretches her inadequate budget to manage the costs of childcare, diapers, and other family necessities. Maybe you’ve wondered how she manages to write papers while helping her children with homework.

Chances are in addition to being your classmate and looking after family, she has a part-time job – yet, her debt is likely to be twice that of most undergraduates.

Chances are you’ve admired her courage, sympathized with her situation, and wondered “Can I do anything to help?

The answer is YES.

Please Vote “YES” to the continuation of a $1.00 Student Interest Fee for Ban Righ Centre Mature Student Bursaries. Your “YES”, your one dollar, will provide significant bursary support for 36+ student families.

The Centre helps mature women students tackle the challenges encountered as they make the move back to University—some delayed university to raise children, some left dead-end jobs, some were laid off, some want to put social assistance behind them. ALL came to Queen’s because, like you, they know that education leads to a better life. Your “YES” will improve their chances at overcoming the barriers they face when returning to campus after a long absence.

The Ban Righ Centre provides an encouraging environment and opportunity to meet other students. Though it supports mature women students, it is open to and welcomes all students. Drop by. It’s your Centre too.

Dawn House

Dawn House Women’s Shelter is a local support organization that offers housing and support for at-risk women and children in Kingston.

Diatribe Magazine

Imagine yourself in the following situation: you’re in the wilderness, surrounded by ninjas, with nothing but a beach towel, a half-eaten bag of Doritos, an amusing novelty hat you bought at the Democratic National Convention, and your wits. What do you do?

A) Call the AMS and beg them to bail you out B) Get Don Rogers to take pictures and post them online so people know your situation

C) VOTE YES TO DIATRIBE ON OCT 28

Diatribe is a provocative, theme-based monthly publication that offers students an intelligent and creative outlet for their interests outside of classes. We’re submission-based, so anyone can be published on any theme-related topic, as long as their writing is good, their argument is cogent, and their facts are straight. From genocide in the third world, to the mature life of indie rock, to the mass-consciousness of an exploding internet society, Diatribe strives to provide student perspectives on all the controversial topics of a cultural climate that’s heating up with the planet. We welcome any and all (justified) opinions.

Why do we need your 95 cents? Because printing 3000 copies of a magazine costs a thousand dollars once a month, and as committed as our staff is, we don’t have the kind of money to pay that out of pocket. Here’s a better question: Why do you want to give us your 95 cents? A student fee allows us to run without advertisements; to spend more time making our issues as good as possible instead of organizing desperate fundraisers; and to print longer issues, more often, with better quality paper and colour – so that rather than just kind of blowing your mind, Diatribe will leave your grey matter splattered all over the back wall of MacCorry cafeteria.

Friday Friends

Friday Friends is a club run by 10-15 volunteers and involves spending a few hours Friday evenings with teens and young adults with special needs. The club strives to provide a positive social setting for students who may or may not have means of participating in typical extra-curricular enrichment. Our aim is to help students grow and learn valuable social lessons; an often underestimated need in our society. Through organized activities with their peer group, outside of the usual settings of both home and classroom, students will have the opportunity to feel a part of something special. We feel it is of the utmost importance to form this bond because it allows not only the students, but also us at Queens as well, to grow and learn along side each other. This is the age where social interaction is so very much a part of life and if it is not given the chance to develop and prosper it could prove detrimental both now and in the future.  We truly believe that every person has a special gift to share with the world and with the right atmosphere and encouragement this group can be the place where it flourishes. 

Queen’s International Student’s Society Bursary

In 1993 Queen’s students initially voted to create the Queen’s International Student’s Society Bursary. This bursary was established at a time when the Government of Ontario implemented a number of programs to restrict and direct student financial assistance to residents of Ontario. It has been recognized by the student population international students may experience financial challenges while studying at Queen’s University. The funding provided by this AMS student activity fee does contribute towards the overall financial assistance the University is able to direct towards the support of international students who experience financial difficulty while studying at Queen’s University. The AMS portion of the Queen’s International Student’s Society Bursary is approximately $4,500 on an annual basis.

Shinerama

The Shinerama Campaign for Cystic Fibrosis fee is a $0.75 opt-outable cost with all proceeds going towards the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Shinerama campaign. Shinerama is the largest post-secondary fundraiser in Canada, and with good reason—CF is the most common (and fatal) genetic illness affecting young Canadians. The proceeds raised by the AMS fee contribute to costs incurred by fundraising events throughout the school year, such as Santa Photos in the JDUC and our T-Shirt sales, cutting back on the amount we need to take out of our earned dollars.

The Shinerama campaign is one of the primary aspects of ASUS Orientation Week. Each year, the totals raised have been steadily climbing, culminating this year in over $60,000. This can make a huge impact on the lives of young people living with the disease. Cystic Fibrosis is a multi-system disease affecting primarily the lungs and digestive system, and patients are reliant on constant therapies and pharmaceuticals in order to make it even to the teenage years. Many times, double lung transplants become the only viable option for survival. Raising money to fund research in an effort to find a cure is one of the most meaningful ways to help people living with Cystic Fibrosis.

Even if your days of car washes and shoe shining are behind you (or never even happened!) you can still support the fight against Cystic Fibrosis. Please, vote yes to the continuation of the Shinerama Campaign for Cystic Fibrosis fee and support the search for a cure for CF!

UNICEF

The purpose of UNICEF Queen’s is to represent UNICEF Canada at Queen’s University. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund is a global, non-profit organization that aims to build a world where the rights of every child are realized. UNICEF is the largest child-focused humanitarian agency in the world whose programs address the full range of children’s rights, including health care, clean water and sanitation, education, equality and protection from harm.

The purpose of UNICEF Queen’s is to empower Queen’s University members to help the world’s children in need by exposing them to the adversities facing children and by offering opportunities to make a difference. Our mission is to help the world’s children in need through education, advocacy, and fundraising. Our club would appreciate the support of Queen’s students in establishing an opt-outable fee of $0.75. Funds from the fee are directed to the cause of UNICEF in supporting children around the world to grow up healthy, educated and safe. These funds would also support our campaigns and activities in raising awareness and fundraising. Our club believes that Queen’s students have both the power and the will to make a difference in children’s lives and that being mindful of children’s rights is the first step towards making a difference. Our club started this year with the kind support of both UNICEF and the AMS. We have established a dedicated team of members and we invite all Queen’s students to join us in the great cause of UNICEF.

Union Gallery

The Union Gallery opened in Stauffer Library in 1994. The gallery is unique because it is the University’s only student run art gallery and because it provides a venue for student artists to show their work. Students have shown their support for this gallery by visiting exhibits, serving on its committees, volunteering and by voting YES in referendum.

Since its last appearance on the referendum ballot in 2006, the gallery has expanded to include the Project Room. This small space located inside the main gallery presents installation, new media, time and sound-based works. This addition creates more opportunities for student exhibits and is a testament to the commitment of the gallery staff and student volunteers to making the campus alive with art!

The Union Gallery provides opportunities for all students to get involved on a volunteer basis. As well it provides important career-oriented training for studio art students, and students interested in a career in arts administration (the Board of Directors is 80% students).

Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery relies heavily on the annual student fee through the University and its annual fundraiser (Cezanne’s Closet). The student fee allocated specifically for the gallery has been $1.50 per student since the gallery’s opening. To reflect the higher costs of gallery operation due to an increase in expenses and gallery activities, we are asking the students to support a $0.15 fee increase per student. Given that we have not benefited from an increased student fee since our opening over ten years ago, this small amount is well over-due and much needed!

The gallery is a free, non-profit service that strives to enrich and benefit all Queen’s University students. Please support the Union Gallery in the upcoming referendum by voting YES to our continued and increased funding!

Walkhome

This year, in Walkhome’s 20th anniversary of operation, we will be looking for a fee increase of $4.00. For 20 years, Walkhome has provided the Queen’s community with a safe and discrete option to get home. While Walkhome continues to grow in staff numbers and walks, the reason for the increase in this fee is geared towards dealing with the increase in minimum wage. After rising 75 cents last March, 75 cents next March and 50 cents in March of 2010, Walkhome is looking at a $50,000 deficit, incurred solely by the raise in minimum wage. This $4.00 increase would cover the increasing wage costs so that Walkhome can continue to operate at maximum capacity.

The only other alternative would be to decrease the number of Walkhome teams available each night, making the service less accessible to Queen’s students, faculty and staff. This option puts the safety of many students at risk and defeats the goal of Walkhome to be accessible and available at all times in its hours of operations.

Every student, faculty and staff member has the right to feel safe in the Queen’s community and Walkhome is a critical asset for making sure this is possible. The efficiency and availability of the Walkhome service may be comprised if this fee increase is not approved in order to fund the wages for staff members. Twenty years is just the beginning for Walkhome and please help us to ensure that this valuable service can continue to thrive for many decades to come.

Voting for the fall referendum takes place on Oct. 28 and 29.

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

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