Questions about oversight and transparency in student fee referenda took centre stage at AMS Assembly.
Assembly met on March 24 at 7 p.m., following the Annual General Meeting at 4 p.m. The meeting included a presentation from the Queen’s University Muslim Student Association (QUMSA), a discussion on the student fee referendum process, and the approval of the Orientation Roundtable (ORT) budget for 2026-27.
In recognition of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Aumama Al-Naib, director of external affairs for QUMSA, delivered the presentation.
Al-Naib spoke about Islamophobia globally and locally, referencing violent attacks, including the 2021 vehicle attack that killed four members of a Muslim family in London, Ontario, and the 2017 Quebec City Mosque attack.
“Islamophobia is not only real, but it’s close,” she said.
Al-Naib said combating Islamophobia is essential to ensuring Muslim students can participate fully in campus life. She also outlined ongoing concerns raised by Muslim students at Queen’s, including halal food labelling inconsistencies, cross-contamination concerns in dining halls, and the lack of accessible prayer space following the loss of previous locations during campus renovations.
Following the presentation, Assembly moved into executive and observer reports.
AMS Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa spoke about a partnership between the AMS and the Downtown Kingston BIA to offer discounted student tickets to the RoadTrip Music Festival in September. She said the initiative aims to help restore a large-scale concert experience following the discontinuation of the orientation concert.
Perisa also noted a reduction in St. Patrick’s Day fines, stating fines decreased from over $30,000 last year to approximately $2,000 this year.
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Chair of the AMS Board of Directors Dreyden George delivered his final report in the position due to his transition to the upcoming presidential role.
A discussion was then led by Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale and her first-year intern, Arabella Mew, HealthSci ’29, on the student fee nomination process, citing student concerns about accessibility and timelines. Boytchuk-Hale said her office has received repeated feedback from undergraduate students about the difficulty of meeting the current nomination requirements, noting that similar concerns haven’t been raised by graduate students under the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) system.
Mew noted AMS groups have four days to collect nomination signatures, while groups dealing with the SGPS are given around 50 days and are permitted to use social media.
Assembly members generally supported extending the nomination timeline and allowing social media campaigning, though some raised concerns about how such changes would affect administration and referendum logistics.
Engineering Society President Jordan Bolenski said extending the signature collection period “isn’t a bad idea” and described social media as “a lot more accessible.” Commissioner of Social Issues (External) Mujeedat Lekuti said she went through referendum this season and also supported a longer nomination period since the ban on social media made the process very difficult, especially for external groups.
However, AMS Secretariat Racheal Reddy noted that extending the timeline could reduce the time groups have to prepare validation packages and increase administrative pressure on the Internal Affairs Office.
Assembly moved into new business, approving minutes from Feb. 10 and March 10 meetings and agreeing to delay releasing minutes from the March 3 special meeting until April 7.
Assembly then approved the ORT budget for 2026-27, maintaining an Assembly allocation of $138,000 with no increase from the previous year.
Presenting the budget, ORT Director Olivia Elmhurst said projected revenue includes $244,000 from student orientation fees, a 1.6 per cent increase reflecting inflation and higher custodial costs. As well as $25,000 in sponsorship, a decrease from previous years due to consistently unmet targets.
The budget’s largest expense is wages, totalling $110,190, a 2.3 per cent increase from last year’s budget. Elmhurst said the increase reflects expanded working hours and an effort to more accurately account for previously unfilled roles.
Other major costs include $90,000 for faculty transportation, $60,000 for event expenses, and $38,000 for room rentals. The budget also allocates $17,500 for miscellaneous expenses, including custodial services and road closure equipment, an increase in response to higher-than-expected cleaning fees billed by the University.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:13 p.m. The next Assembly is scheduled for April 7.
Tags
AMS Assembly, ams referendum, ORT
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