Discussions on Queen’s investment practices arise at AMS Special Assembly.
Lasting for roughly two hours, the AMS’s Special General Assembly—during which any student who has paid their AMS membership can vote on motions, rather than Assembly members—took place on Dec. 2 in Stirling Hall. The meeting took place two weeks later than planned, as the AMS failed to give students proper notice. Assembly saw a lower general student turnout of roughly 20 non-Assembly members, compared to last year’s Fall Special Assembly turnout of 277 members.
The meeting began roughly 30 minutes late at 7:29 p.m., with the agenda being approved following an amendment by Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa to remove motion 17, which sought to approve a public statement on Bill 33, as the bill had already passed.
Following brief reports by the executives, the meeting moved into statements and questions by students submitted to Secretariat Racheal Reddy to be read out loud.
The first statement, read by Reddy, came from a student who identified themselves as Emily Dos Santos, ConEd ’29, raising multiple concerns with the hiring for Queen’s Band Cheer. Dos Santos explained she was concerned with the fact that the tryouts were three hours long and ended late at night. She explained this made the tryouts “exhausting” and raised safety concerns for women walking home alone.
The second concern against Queen’s Band Cheer alleged that there was favouritism in the selection process, potentially due to applicants knowing members of the team or favouritism to those who had a specific “look.” Dos Santos said she hopes her statement will bring more fairness in how auditions are done and are inclusive to all body types, backgrounds, and appearances.
Reddy also received two questions, both for Perisa. The first asked, “You mentioned meeting with Western to learn how they planned Purple Fest and how the model might be applied at Queen’s. Wouldn’t your prior experience as ORT Concert Director already provide the necessary background for this kind of planning?”
Perisa responded that a new concert would look very different than the old one, as the funding model, which previously included the concert fees in the orientation kit price, has been discontinued, so the new concert structure will have to be changed.
The second question asked, “Since the commissions are run by their respective commissioners, could you clarify what role you personally play in supporting them? Additionally, what initiatives, projects or goals have you personally accomplished that go beyond the work the Commission’s already managed?”
Perisa explained that her role involves being a manager and having oversight into how everything is interconnected. As for her personal projects, she explained she’s been building relationships with various businesses throughout the city and is planning to establish a faculty society game.
Assembly later moved on to the ratification of the ORT Coordinator, Olivia Elmhurst, ConEd ’27, when Nursing Science Society President Mika Heler raised that student cards hadn’t been checked, meaning non-Assembly members in attendance voting on the motions may not be AMS members. A brief discussion ensued between Heler and AMS President Jana Amer that couldn’t be heard, with the decision being made to go ahead with Elmhurst’s ratification anyway.
After Elmhurst was asked questions by Assembly, a vote was about to be held before Heler raised the issue again, explaining that policy dictates membership must be confirmed before a vote. Assembly was then put on pause for about 15 minutes so non-Assembly members could confirm their membership. The vote on her ratification was then held, which was carried unanimously.
Assembly then moved on to motion four, which sought to amend its Principles and Positions Policy to include a new section on university investments. The motion, moved by Perisa and seconded by Amer, would direct the AMS to advocate for Queen’s to “fully implement, resource, and publicly report on its obligations as a UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) signatory” and to align its investments accordingly.
The motion also calls for the implementation of these goals into university policy, requests a report to demonstrate their alignment with these goals, and asks for the establishment of a committee on responsible investing, which would include AMS, SGPS, and Human Rights and Equity Office representatives.
Introducing the motion with a presentation, Perisa argued that while Queen’s presents itself as a leader on sustainability, its current responsible investing policy doesn’t explicitly require human rights due diligence. She added that the University leadership has confirmed that investment decisions are primarily evaluated based on financial return.
During the question period, Heler asked whether the motion represented a shift toward weapons divestment.
“When this was originally brought up, it was clarified to be about the environment,” Heler said. “Now we’re talking about weapons divestment, so I was just wondering where that came from.”
Perisa responded that her motion only “touches on UN frameworks. So, this specifically is talking about sustainability, Equity and Human Rights diligence and considerations as outlined in the motion explicitly.”
The motion ultimately passed with Heler and one other opposing, along with several others abstaining.
Motions five through 16 were largely procedural, ranging from committee ratifications, appointments, and other changes, and all passed unanimously.
Motion 18 sought to establish a plebiscite question on the Winter Referendum, asking whether students support the idea that “Queen’s University’s investment portfolio should comply with recognized international standards of ethical and sustainable investment, including the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI), and no longer invest in financial sectors or institutions identified as presenting ESG or humanitarian risks.”
The Journal ran a separate story on its discussion and approval.
The next regular Assembly is set for Jan. 19.
Tags
AMS Assembly, AMS Divestment, AMS Special Assembly, Queen's Investments
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