AMS fall referendum statements

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

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Queen’s Bands

The Queen’s Bands is one of the largest and most visible spirit organizations on this campus, with 110 dedicated students composing the Brass Band, the Pipe Band, Drum Corps, Highland Dancers, Colour Guard, and Cheerleaders. Having been a proud part of Queen’s traditions for over 100 years, we remain an integral element of the Queen’s spirit, representing the university in numerous events throughout the year. We are a common sight during Golden Gaels games, following the football team for their entire season, cheering for the team, providing entertainment for the audience, and on away games we occasionally outnumber the opposing crowd. We regularly perform for alumni events in cities across Canada and the United States, invoking a sense of Queen’s pride with our spirit and love of our University. Through events such as the John Orr Dinner, the Agnes Benidickson Dinner, and Grant Hall Society events we maintain their vital links to the university. Furthermore, we represent Queen’s in numerous parades such as the nationally televised Toronto Santa Claus Parade, the Montreal St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We also participate in regional events such as the Brockville Santa Claus Parade, Kingston Santa Claus Parade, and the Gananoque Remembrance Day ceremonies. We are active all year in the local community, performing for seniors in KGH, playing at the Winter Adaptive Games, and participating in the Cancer Society’s Run for the Cure. Whether or not you enjoy the epic skirl of bagpipes, the deep boom of a sousaphone, or the crack of a snare drum, we invoke a sense of pride in every Queen’s student, past and present. A vote in support of our fee means we are able to continue our services to the Queen’s and Kingston communities, home and abroad. Keep the tradition alive!

Camp Outlook

Queen’s Camp Outlook is an charitable corporation devoted to providing at-risk and underprivileged youths from the Kingston area between 13 and 17 with an opportunity to experience wilderness camping.

Camp Outlook’s Core Ideology: We stand for the following Core Values: the worth and potential of at-risk and underprivileged teenagers; the therapeutic value of wilderness tripping; the encouragement of individual ability and self-esteem in a unique environment; the valuable contribution of volunteers to society through work with youth.

Core Purpose: To encourage youth to realize their worth as individuals, their abilities, and their potential to achieve.

Camp Outlook is looking to renew their $0.85 (subject to individual opt-out) fee for the next three years. Their fee was originally established in 2001 and last went to Referendum in 2004.

CFRC

CFRC 101.9 FM is one of the oldest campus and community radio stations in Canada, serving Queen’s and the greater Kingston community since 1922. It is an alternative media source providing a diverse range of music, news, spoken word and sports programming. There are over 130 volunteers at the station, including Queen’s students, staff and faculty, high school students, and Kingston and area residents. CFRC broadcasts 24 hours a day from Carruthers Hall, and can be heard at 101.9 FM and cfrc.ca.

CFRC’s ownership was transferred from Queen’s to the AMS in 2003. We have pursued new sources of revenue since then, including an annual funding drive, last year raising $16,000 in 10 days. However, CFRC is reliant on student fees to cover a large portion of operation costs including equipment maintenance, licensing fees, and wages for CFRC’s management. Students at schools such as McGill and McMaster pay $8 and $12 for their campus stations. We are asking for $6.50. In return, our doors are open for all to gain valuable broadcasting and journalism experience. We also rent our studios for recording interviews and artists, and we provide a forum for discussion between Kingston and Queen’s communities— something hard to find within the “Queen’s bubble”.

A community unto itself, CFRC is a place where Queen’s students (who represent 60% of our volunteers) and community members meet as peers. For more information, visit cfrc.ca, call 533-2121 or e-mail cfrcbusiness@ams.queensu.ca. Ensure this valuable Queen’s resource and tradition stays alive by voting YES to a fee increase for CFRC!

The Queen’s Debating Union (QDU)

The Queen’s Debating Union (QDU) is the oldest student organization on campus, and one of the oldest in North America. Established in 1843, and founders of the Alma Mater Society, the QDU has played a substantial role in Queen’s life since the University’s inception. The QDU is one of the top competitive debate societies in the World, representing Queen’s at Regional, National, North American, and World Championships.

On campus, the QDU runs weekly meetings open to the entire student body and gives people the opportunity to learn and practice the art of public speech. The QDU will teach you to articulate your thoughts and be more persuasive—important skills both during and after your time at Queen’s. The QDU also runs a high school outreach program, teaching Kingston students how to debate and improve their confidence speaking in public.

The QDU has grown substantially over the past 5 years, improving our competitive record, and expanding our campus and community programs. As a result, our 90 cent opt-out fee is no longer sufficient to properly allow us to represent Queen’s and to maintain our local initiatives. In the QDU, your opt-out fee goes directly back to students: we use the money to subsidize the cost of participation in the union.

We want to insure that all students, regardless of their financial situation are able to benefit from the programs that the QDU offers. Additionally, this small increase in our opt-out fee will allow us to expand our on campus programs, promoting debate and discussion.

On November 6th, and 7th please vote YES to a 50 cent increase of the Queen’s Debating Union opt-out fee. To learn more please check out our website at: www.clubs.myams.org/qdu, or come to a regular meeting on Wednesday and Thursday nights in Kingston 200 at 7pm.

Global Citizens at Queen’s

Global Citizens at Queen’s was founded in 2004 in response to an inspiring summer abroad with World Literacy of Canada. Frances Ue, founder of Global Citizens at Queen’s and Life Sciences alumna (Class of 2006), spent the summer of 2004 gaining a first hand glimpse into World Literacy of Canada’s work as a participant in their Youth Overseas Program. Partnered with another intern, Frances spent five weeks in India living with a host family and teaching at the Shraddha Special School for the Mentally Challenged on the outskirts of Varanasi, India. At this school, students were taught a range of life skills including basic hygiene, nutrition, reading and writing, simple math, and social skills. Despite challenges like poverty and stigma associated with disability, students showed a strong determination to learn and teachers persevered to provide care. Frances was extremely impressed by their dedication and strong will. She hoped to mobilize the Queen’s community in support of World Literacy of Canada’s programs. In the past, GC has held fundraising events to raise fund for WLC. As global citizens, we aim to support international projects as well. Currently, GC is working on making teaching kits which will be sent to teachers and local NGOs associated with WLC. These kits will help women and children within those literacy programs. In addition, this year GC is excited to run literacy outreach events, for the first time, throughout the Kingston community.

Written By: Frances Ue and Jennifer Wu

Golden Words

Look, I will be honest with you. Golden Words wants a new couch. And not just any couch, either. We want a fabulous leather couch that seats seven and has built in foot holders and drink warmers. To get this couch we need to raise our student fee from $1.50 to $2.00. Now, I know that 50 cents is a lot of money, but we are sick and tired of the Journal lording it over us with their fancy vibrating recliners. It’s not fair! We deserve a little pampering now and then!

Also, apparently we need the money to run some kind of weekly comedy paper thing on the side? I’m not really sure what that’s about.

Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA)

Current tuition levels are unfair.

Universities need more funding.

Student financial assistance needs to improve.

OUSA seeks to improve these three areas by representing you.

The AMS is requesting a mandate from students to continue our membership in the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, an organization we co-founded in 1992.

The purpose of the group is to present a united front on issues affecting Ontario students. OUSA also represents Western, Waterloo, Brock, Windsor, McMaster, and Laurier. Membership in the organization costs only $2.09 per student and your money goes a long way.

Recent OUSA’s successes: A number of key OUSA recommendations were included in the Premier’s platform. OUSA is committed to seeing the commitments become a reality; successfully Lobbied for a two-year tuition freeze and associated funding for 2004/05 and 2005/06; the inclusion in the final document of 15 of OUSA’s recommendations to the Rae Review on Post-Secondary Education; successfully lobbied to allow international students to work off campus; successfully lobbied to have the Higher Education Quality Council’s mandate include access; successfully lobbied for increased funding to universities resulting in the $6.2 billion dollar cumulative investment delivered in the 2005 budget; successfully lobbied for $20.9 million in changes to student financial aid in the 2004 provincial budget; created framework for legislation limiting ancillary fee increases. In 2007 OUSA has: meet with over 40 members of Provincial Parliament; meet regularly with the Minister of Colleges, Training and Universities; meet with many key people in the Ministry of Colleges, Training and Universities, from Deputy Ministers to policy makers; hosted a Partners Conference that included 8 student federations from across Canada; received regular coverage in national, local, and campus media; organize a lobby conference at Queen’s Park.

If we want change, we need a voice. Ensure Queen’s students are heard. Vote yes to OUSA.

Queen’s TV

Queen’s TV is Queen’s University’s own student-run television program. Airing on www.queenstv.ca and weekly on Sunday nights at 11:30 pm on CKWS Television, the Kingston-area CBC affiliate. The program is dedicated to news and current events. This year, we have covered bands such as Metric and David Usher, frosh week events like Move in Day and the Grease Pole climb, social issues like the Ontario government elections and the Terry Fox Run. We’ve also delved into university sports like sailing and basketball, and general interest stories like sex on campus and the initiative of one man to wear a T-shirt for as long as it would last. All that and more can be seen on your very own Queen’s TV. Beyond the show, Queen’s TV produces videos for individuals or organizations, at very reasonable rates.

Queen’s TV offers volunteers the unique opportunity to learn about television production from every angle, from reporting to videography and editing. Our opt-outable student fee helps us maintain our equipment, and keep our show looking as professional as possible. This is our 19th season, making us one of the oldest student television shows around. Be sure to check out our website, www.queenstv.ca for more information about us and for episodes.

The Queen’s United Way

The Queen’s United Way committee is running for the continuation of a fee of $2.00 subject to individual opt-out for the next three years. The fee was originally established in 1991, and was last up for referendum in 2005. Last year the fee helped donate $17,626.00 to the Kingston and area United Way. The money donated to the Kingston United Way goes to non-profit organizations and helps run programs for people in need in the Kingston area. Some of the organizations they provide money to are Boys and Girls Club, Canadian Hearing Society, Kingston Literacy, and the Kingston Youth Shelter.

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Voting takes place next week on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7.

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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