A new AMS social media initiative showcases the staff behind –the scenes of student-run services.
Beginning Nov. 19, supervisors at AMS services will nominate their staff to be featured once a week on the AMS Instagram page. The initiative, titled “AMS Staff Shoutouts,” will include a photo, along with a fun story about the staff member at work.
AMS Social Media Supervisor Emily Miller hopes the initiative will validate students’ hard work.
“For me, it’s super important to highlight people and show them our gratitude,” Miller said in an interview with The Journal.
Miller suggested the initiative when she realized most featured people on the AMS Instagram page were the senior management team.
“There are many more people that make this machine run, so we really want to highlight everyone, and not just the senior management,” Miller said.
The AMS provides students with work experience within the Queen’s community. Student-to-student services allow undergraduates to get a coffee or a walk home from their peers.
“I have some friends at CoGro, so when I go and I order my coffee, and I see my friend, it’s this whole connection, this whole conversation, and so it’s enjoyable,” Miller said.
According to Miller, Queen’s students receive most of their information from Instagram, making the platform the ideal place to connect with other students.
“Instagram is where we get the most engagement. I think that’s where we want to highlight people, because again, most people will see that,” AMS Director of Marketing Caitlin Parkes said in an interview with The Journal.
When students are physically on campus, their social media feed will push posts made by the AMS, boosting engagement.
Part of pulling in students includes teaching them about what the AMS does. Parkes said many students are unaware the AMS runs Walkhome, Common Ground Coffeehouse, and the Printing & Copy Centre.
“We really want to put a face to that part of the AMS and bridge the gap between the AMS and the services, because a lot of people don’t associate the two together,” Parkes added.
Parkes hopes the initiative will encourage students to apply for AMS positions in the future. Whether it’s joining a club or working at the AMS, Parkes wants students to know how to get involved in the Queen’s community.
For Parkes and Miller, student jobs build the community Queen’s is known for, and all students are deserving of recognition.
“I think Queen’s is an extremely community-based school. I think the student experience is why people come here,” Parkes said. “I think the AMS is here, in part to provide student jobs and to provide students with those experiences.”
Tags
AMS, Employees, Services, spotlight
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