Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre
The Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre seeks to enhance the development and well-being of the Queen’s University Aboriginal Community. In keeping with the teachings of the Four Directions, The Centre strives to support individual Aboriginal students in balancing their academic, spiritual, physical, and emotional needs.
The Centre is a space that all students can call a “home away from home”. Every week, the staff and students gather at the Centre to enjoy the Three Sisters Feasts, Traditional Teachings, Film Reviews and the Men’s and Women’s Circles. Throughout the year the Centre coordinates the Annual Educational Pow Wow, Annual Aboriginal Symposium and supports the Queen’s Native Student Association’s “Aboriginal Awareness Week”.
In doing this we share with the Queen’s and Kingston community our vibrant and proud culture that exists here. All events are free and open to the public and are conducted in a culturally appropriate manner.
With your support by voting “yes” we hope to not only continue to provide existing services, but to accommodate some important goals moving forward.
These goals include:
1. Enhancement of current programs and services.
2. Greater involvement at Queen’s University events such as convocation and classroom involvement, thus enhancing awareness of what the Aboriginal community at Queen’s has to share with all students, staff and faculty.
3. Enhance our ability to reach out to more Aboriginal students and educate them on services available to them.
4. A partnership with Food Services, to create “The Sustainable Farm Project”. The farm will include traditional medicines and crop planting, and our own Sweat lodge and Teaching Wigwam.
5. An establishment of a Four Directions Aboriginal Student Centre First Year Student Bursary.
Once again we thank you for your support and kindness in allowing us to share our gifts and teachings.
HIV/AIDS Regional Services
HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS) is a non-profit, charitable organization that has provided services to various communities within and around the Kingston area for over 20 years. We provide a number of confidential services for individuals infected with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS: supportive counseling, information, referrals, support groups, volunteer support, practical assistance, advocacy, as well as a prison program. We provide extensive harm reduction services to the public at large, including a needle exchange program, condom/lube distribution, a comprehensive resource library and a public speaker program.
The Queen’s student body is one of the communities served and HARS has maintained collaborative, effective working relationships with several campus groups over the years: Queen’s Medical Outreach, Queen’s School of Nursing, AIDS Awareness Committees, Queen’s Legal Aid Services, Queen’s Sidewalk Sale, Sexual Health Resource Centre, the International Centre, Don’s Resource Fair, Women’s Studies, Black History Month Kingston, Queen’s Human Rights Office, EQUIP , among others.
Queen’s and HARS have mutually benefited from numerous student volunteers and placement opportunities. Staff have assisted students doing HIV/AIDS research and course work. Over the last 3 years, the bulk of student fees has contributed to the continuation of education, prevention and volunteer programs at HIV/AIDS Regional Services. Health Canada only partially funds our education program, while the balance is funded through fundraising, the provincial Ministry of Health and student fees.
Students benefit not only from accessing comprehensive individual support services related to HIV/AIDS and Hep C, but also from quality HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs delivered through various campus venues throughout the academic year. We want to continue our partnership with Queen’s and urge you to give the HARS fee referendum question a resounding “YES”
Inquire
Student Organization: Inquire: Where Activism Takes Root
Contact Name: Ayaz Kurji, Co-President
Contact Email: inquirepublication@gmail.com
Contact Phone Number: (613) 329-8824
Inquire is a response-based AMS-ratified social activist publication, and formally launched at Queen’s on September 1, 2008.
The purpose of Inquire is fourfold:
1. to foster discussion and debate about issues of importance
2. to combat ignorance
3. to reduce apathy
4. to mitigate dogmatism
Inquire aims to motivate the Queen’s community to speak out by facilitating the voicing of opinions on issues of real importance.
The concept behind Inquire is unlike any other known publication. It resembles the letters section of a daily newspaper. The Queen’s community is encouraged to respond to questions regarding issues of global and local importance. These responses cover a wide variety of perspectives, allowing readers of the physical publication to grasp a thorough understanding of issues from multiple viewpoints.
To date, Inquire’s executive team is twenty-six members strong, comprising of five different portfolios: finance, marketing, editors, initiatives, and website/secretary. We have organized many successful fundraisers, and our editors have been passionately working on writing articles for responses. We are excited and proud to announce that the first issue of Inquire Publication will be released next month! Nine thousand copies of Inquire will be distributed throughout campus for the Queen’s community academia, activists, and casual readers alike. Funds collected by an optional opt-out fee from the student population will grant us the opportunity to increase the frequency, visibility, and scope of the publication next year and to aspire to new heights.
True to our motto, “Inquire: Where Activism Takes Root”, our vision is to see Inquire used by the Queen’s Community as a central hub to activism on campus, and as a source of knowledge for local and global events.
Kingston Lifeguard Club
The Kingston Lifeguard club consists of a group of dedicated students who put their skills to the test in a competitive setting. The pressure of the competitions and the experience gained by the guards better prepares them for the realities of life and death situations in an aquatic setting. The team has seen great success since its inception and last year won the Ontario University Lifesaving Competition, Ontario Provincial Lifesaving Competition, and the Canadian Emergency Response Championship. Student fees are used to support travel, training, and equipment requirements for the team. Many of our team members also offer training services to other lifeguards as well as the Queen’s community with the mandate of preventing water related deaths and injuries. The team is seeking a continuation of the $0.50 fee which is subject to individual opt-out. Vote yes to the Kingston Lifeguard Club.
Ontario Public Interest Research Group Kingston
The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) Kingston is a charitable, non-profit environmental and social justice organization. It was established in 1992 and incorporated in February of 1993. We’re in our sixteenth year of education, research and action in the public interest.
Each year, OPIRG events are related to the issues that students and community members choose deem important. Volunteers and staff work together to organize a range of speakers, film series, conferences, educational events, information tables, and other initiatives.
This year, the opt-outable $4 student levy supported OPIRG in initiating “A Lovin’ Spoonful” to recover food from grocers, restaurants in cooperation with the Nation Farmer’s Union, Partners in Mission Foodbank and the Sisters of Providence. The project hopes to combine food reclamation and service provision with supporting local and sustainable food production.
Working Groups form the heart of OPIRG. Volunteers with an interest in a particular issue or project work together to increase public awareness, educate themselves and others, attempt to influence government policy, and raise funds for particular projects. OPIRG works in solidarity with many community organizations in addition to being a member of various coalitions and joint projects.
With the Canadian Unified Students Environmental Network (CUSEN), OPIRG maintains an Alternative Resource Library. The Library houses thousands of hard-to-find books, vertical files, subscriptions to periodicals, videos, and taped speeches. This educational resource is available to all members of the community at no charge. You can search the library online through the OPIRG website (www.opirgkingston.org).
OPIRG welcomes anyone and everyone to come out and learn more about social and environmental justice in our community, country, and world. Check us out in the Grey House (51 Bader Lane) or call 533-3189.
Queen’s Bands
The marching bands of Queen’s University, established in 1905, is the largest and oldest marching band in Canada. The Bands perform pre-game and half-time shows at all Golden Gaels football games, and lead the crowd in singing the Oil Thigh after the Gaels score a touchdown. For home games, the Bands lead a parade of Queen’s football fans from the main campus to the football stadium at the West Campus. Once football season ends they are active in festive parades, most notably the Kingston and Toronto Santa Claus Parades, and the Montreal St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Bands have also partcipated in the New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade, the New York Macy’s Parade, and in the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parades.
The AMS student fee and membership fees give Bands the opportunity to represent the Queen’s community across north America at such events. Inflation since our last fee increase, combined with rising transportation costs, have made it difficult for the Bands to continue its operations at the level of intensity and frequency of involvement Queen’s is used to.
Voting for Queen’s Bands will allow us to continue to represent legendary Queen’s spirit at home in Kingston and throughout Ontario, performing for current students, future students, and countless alumni. Cha Gheill!
Queen’s Health and Human Rights conference
The Queen’s Health and Human Rights Conference is a student-led initiative with a mandate to build bridges between the humanities, sciences and social sciences by providing a forum for academics, professionals, practitioners and students to address global challenges at the intersection of health care and human rights. Founded in 2005, the conference has quickly become one of the most active and successful initiatives at the medical school, and now enjoys unparalleled breadth of student and faculty support from campus bodies including the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Education, and the School of Urban and Regional Planning. Last year, over 150 Queen’s students had opportunity to interact with 23 speakers who came from as far as Tanzania.
By participating in a series of lectures and intimate workshops, attendees develop a strong theoretical foundation, acquire practical tools for influencing global health and development, and are exposed to myriad opportunities to become involved. The conference also helps forge interprofessional connections among students, academics, and practitioners through a reception and casual meals.
We are excited to present this year’s theme, “Creating the Space to Question,” which juxtaposes diverging perspectives on controversial health issues. We will expand the conference this year to feature panels of experts representing a spectrum of views on divisive topics such as privatization of health care and decriminalization of HIV transmission. We will further develop the artistic component of the conference using interactive displays through which participants contribute their voices to a collaborative art piece. Our aim is to start dialogue, spark debate, and raise awareness of the challenges affecting populations around the world.
We are asking for your support, in the form of a $0.50 opt-out fee, to help us continue to bring in great speakers in the coming years reduce the financial barrier to attend.
Queen’s Helping Hand Association
Do you enjoy seeing professors lecture in Halloween costumes? Do you delight in watching people jump into Lake Ontario in the winter? Do you want to shave a friend’s head, or your own, for Cuts for Cancer? If you answered yes to any of those questions—and even if you didn’t—please vote yes this January 27 and 28 to the continuation of Queen’s Helping Hand Association’s opt-outable fee of $0.50.
The Queen’s Helping Hand Association (www.qhha.ca) is a non-profit charity club that serves the Kingston community as well as national charitable organizations. Every year, it undertakes three campus-wide fundraising events: Dollars for B-Ballers, the Polar Bear Dip, and Cuts for Cancer. Each of these events provides any and all interested students (and faculty and staff) an opportunity to engage in fun volunteer activities while also benefiting the community.
None of these events would be possible without funding from opt-outable fees, which enable us to purchase or rent materials necessary for fundraisers. A large portion of such funding also goes toward supplementing donations collected by QHHA, thereby making its way directly into the hands of local and national charitable organizations (Kingston’s Special Olympics Basketball team, the Ryandale Shelter, and the Canadian Cancer Society, to name a few).
QHHA’s opt-outable $0.50 fee has existed since 2003; it last went to referendum in 2006. This year we are seeking a three-year continuation of the optional $0.50 fee.
Queen’s International Affairs Association
The Queen’s International Affairs Association (QIAA) was founded in 1987 and can trace its roots back over a century to the Queen’s International Affairs Club of 1902. QIAA is a fully student-run, not-for-profit organization devoted to the study of and dialogue related to international affairs. We attempt to provide all Queen’s students practical outlets in which they can explore their interest in the international stage. We attend and host conferences, run speaker series, publish an international relations magazine(The Queen’s International Observer), are active in Model United Nations conferences, host QFPC (Queen`s Foreign Policy Conference) and for the first time are hosting QICSIM – an interactive crisis simulation in which delegates represent various countries in a time of crisis. Past speakers hosted by QIAA include Michael Ignatieff, deputy leader of the liberal party of Canada and our next speaker will be Canada’s German ambassador coming to Queen’s on January 22nd.Grounded by the principle, that as Canadians, it is our responsibility to have a global consciousness, QIAA welcomes all politically minded individuals. QIAA attempts to act as an impartial forum for debate on serious global issues, providing a balanced presentation of facts and opinions. With this multitude of services, QIAA faces substantive costs and requires the help of AMS student fees to be able to continue operating. For more information on QIAA, please visit our main website at: www.qiaa.org.
Queen’s International Students’ Association cultural dance team
The QISA cultural dance team has been a long-standing tradition at Queen’s for years. Proud of our Indian heritage, the QISA dance team aims to fuse together a rich variety of dances including traditional Indian, Bollywood and Hip Hop. The team competes annually at the SAA Culture Show held in Toronto, one of the largest national inter-university dance competitions in Canada. Battling rivals such as McGill, Western, U of T and York, the dance team relies on funding from the AMS in order to put together an elaborate 10 minute performance. While other universities annually receive up to tens of thousands of dollars, Queen’s has traditionally been on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of funding. This fee, subject to individual opt-out, would go directly to the acquisition of costumes, props, sets, dance studios, and transportation methods. In the past, Queen’s has benefitting greatly from this opt-out fee, placing 3rd in 2006. Spear-headed by some of the most dedicated co-ordinators and dancers, the dance team brings culture and diversity to Queen’s through on-campus performances, and permeates the community by working with the Indo-Canadian Association of Kingston. By supporting this optional fee, the QISA Cultural Dance Team will once again be able to put together performances that reflect the talents of diverse students at Queen’s.
Queen’s Legal Aid
At the Queen’s Legal Aid clinic in Macdonald Hall we provide legal services to Queen’s students and to low income local residents. We also offer a unique clinical learning experience for law students. We are committed to serving our community with professional, high quality and responsive service. Queen’s Legal Aid can assist and advocate for eligible students with matters pertaining to landlord-tenant disputes, Small Claims Court, some criminal and driving offences, Affidavits and Notarizations, student discipline matters, OSAP and more.
Queen’s Medical Review
The Queen’s Medical Review (QMR) has experienced several incarnations in the past. With its most recent rebirth occurring in 2007, the QMR has become a student-run community newsletter, publishing news about current medical events, global health, and student initiatives in medically related projects. The Queen’s Medical Review also provides a forum, open to any Queen’s student, for constructive debate on current issues in health care. Currently, the QMR is expanding its scope to include a variety of creative works, such as poems, stories, the arts and many more.
We are aiming to publish 3 issues in the year 2008-09 academic year, and are currently seeking a $0.65 opt-out fee to fund our yearly publication expenses. Our most recent issue can be found around campus or online at http://www.queensmedicalreview.com.
Queen’s Red Cross
The Queen’s Red Cross is a student run campus club that works directly with the Kingston Red Cross branch to promote awareness of current humanitarian crises that are affecting our community, country, and the world. Our goal is to demonstrate how international issues affect the everyday lives of Canadians, and that it is in everyone’s interests to learn more about international efforts to end suffering across the world. Our members work together to inform the student body and the Kingston community of current concerns through educational campaigns, as well as raise money that brings aid to those affected through fundraisers. Your $0.30 fee (opt-outable) will help us reach these goals by allowing us to plan and hold events that are both enjoyable and educational, such as game nights, workshops, info booths, and semi-formals, as well as provide first aid & CPR courses. Please vote yes to the continuation of the $0.30 Queen’s Red Cross opt-outable fee and help us involve the Queen’s community in the efforts of the International Red Cross societies!
Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team
The Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team (QSVT) is a group of highly motivated students that designs, manufactures, and races solar powered vehicles, while educating the public about the benefits of green technology.
The QSVT offers an unparalleled opportunity for undergraduate students from all Faculties and disciplines at Queen’s to partake in a multi-disciplinary large scale project, while pushing the boundaries of innovation and helping create a greener future.
The QSVT works closely with industry leaders and top academics giving invaluable experience to the 70-100 students that volunteer with the team throughout the course of the year. Furthermore, the QSVT hires on average
10-12 people each summer for management positions providing salaries and experience to Queen’s undergraduate students.
QSVT Alumni have gone on to succeed in commerce, engineering, and education. Many Alumni have taken their experiences with a real-world design team and are now running their own businesses, while others have pursued research at the Masters and PhD level.
The QSVT traditionally competes in two major international Solar Car Challenges. The North American Solar Challenge (which Queen’s competed in as recently as summer 2008) is a 10 day, 4000km challenge from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta. The World Solar Challenge is held in Australia, and is a week long 3000km event through the heart of the outback. Both these event provide an opportunity for students to travel and showcase their University on a world stage, competing against teams from around the world.
Alumni insist that competing in a Solar Challenge is an unforgettable experience.
If students approve the QSVT’s application to continue on the Opt-out fee, they will help the QSVT cover administrative costs that allow us to operate, apply for industry sponsorship, and apply for salary funding –money which goes directly back to students.
Schizophrenia Society of Ontario – Queen’s chapter
The “Schizophrenia Society of Ontario – Queen’s University Chapter” is a club that has the goal to promote awareness of the prevalence of schizophrenia among the student population, reduce the stigma associated with individuals diagnosed with this mental disorder, and to offer support, resources, and skills training for those with the mental disorder and those who know someone diagnosed.
What makes our club unique is that we are one of few clubs focusing on mental health, particularly schizophrenia. We feel that with such a high prevalence among individuals in our age group, it is important to promote awareness of accessible resources. Students also need a place to discuss this area of mental health.
Our club has three primary objectives. Our first objective is to raise awareness about schizophrenia. Our second objective is to provide support groups and systems to students at Queen’s University, who suffer from schizophrenia or are personally affected by schizophrenia. Our third objective is to provide an opportunity for students to become actively involved with progress towards solutions for mental disorders.
Our objectives will be reached through many of our club initiatives. These include student forums on schizophrenia as well as other mental health issues, mental health support groups for students with schizophrenia or who are personally affected by schizophrenia and a monthly phone-in radio show dedicated to solving issues in an anonymous manner. One of our main initiatives, PROJECT SANTA allows students to easily provide support to people suffering from schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders.
PLEASE VOTE “YES” FOR THE SCHIZOPHRENIA SOCIETY OF ONTARIO – QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY CHAPTER for the optional opt-outable $1 student fee and help us start the very first mental health focused club at Queen’s
Sexual Assault Centre Kingston
For over thirty years, the Sexual Assault Centre Kingston has been providing support to survivors of sexual violence in our community. This support is offered through the 24 hour crisis and support line, individual counselling, group counselling, and accompaniments to hospitals, police stations or through the court system. As well as providing direct support, the centre also strives to end sexual violence through advocacy and community education.
Over the past year the centre has worked with the community of Queens University in various capacities including providing counselling to students and staff who experienced sexual violence, training resident advisors and peer counsellors, speaking in several classes on the issues of sexual violence, providing meaningful volunteer opportunities to students as well as providing research and resource materials for various academic departments. Our centre is committed to responding to the cultural, economic, linguistic and diverse backgrounds of those living in our communities.
Since 1990, the students of Queens University have supported the Sexual Assault Centre of Kingston through a $1 student fee. This support makes it possible for survivors of sexual violence to begin their healing journey by accessing our free and confidential services. For more information about us, please visit our website at www.sackingston.com Thank you for your continued support!
Students offering support
Queen’s SOS: Students Offering Support is a chapter of a National student led charitable organization that hosts Exam-AID sessions on campus. These sessions act as a study tool and key method of fundraising. The organization’s core mission is to implement sustainable education projects globally. Students Offering Support brings a history of student led Exam-AID sessions and valuable training materials for student leaders to host informative and highly effective review sessions. The Queen’s chapter of SOS is a recently established club looking to develop an active role within the student community.
If the proposed opt-out fee of 25 cents is approved, Queen’s SOS will use these funds to build a greater presence on campus and strengthen its academic reputation by offering more courses. Queen’s SOS is entirely not-for-profit and directs all funds to sustainable education initiatives in Latin America.
Throughout the year, the SOS team plans an international development project. A volunteer trip is then organized each year to allow its volunteers the opportunity to pay their own way and take part in the culmination of their efforts.
With your help, we hope that Queen’s SOS: Students Offering Support will be successful in its mission of “Raising marks, raising money, raising roofs”.
Syndicus magazine
Syndicus is a themed biannual publication at Queen’s, the objective of which is to create a multidisciplinary forum for discussion outside of the classroom on contemporary issues. We publish essays, creative prose, poetry, plays, informative blurbs and reviews submitted by students, and we have in the past been fortunate enough to feature exclusive interviews with some of the most prominent figures of our time such as Noam Chomsky and Muhammad Yunus. The upcoming issue deals with the notion of privacy in the modern world, and the submission deadline is February 8th. Our past themes have been “Past”, “Faith”, “Power”, “Media”, “Prenatal Life”, “Democracy”, among many others. We also hope to continue hosting interesting events that challenge the student body, the most recent of which was the “Weighted Words” event, where we debated the power and nature of taboo words. To learn more and to download old issues, send an email to editors@syndicus.ca and check out our website at www.syndicus.ca.
Our only real costs are printing, as everyone involved in editing and design are unpaid Queen’s students. But printing thousands of beautiful, high quality copies in full-colour twice a year is very expensive. However, with an opt-outable 65 cents fee, voluntarily donated by you once a year, we can continue to exist and improve as a publication.
Please support Syndicus in the 2009 Winter Referendum. You are the magazine’s means and meaning.
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 opened. Given that we have not benefited from an increased student fee in 15 years, this small fee is much needed and will go a long way to helping the gallery continue to operate!
The gallery is a 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 funding!
Voting for the winter referendum will take place on Jan. 27 and 28.
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.
