Tri-Annual Review

Sexual Health Resource Center

The Sexual Health Resource Centre (SHRC) is a confidential, non-judgmental, pro-choice, queer positive, non-heterosexist, feminist information and referral resource for questions regarding sex, sexuality, and sexual health.

Our office in the John Deutsch University Centre is staffed by trained volunteers who respond to inquiries both in person and on the phone by providing current and accurate information, and referrals to community resources. The SHRC extends its services to both the Queen's and Kingston communities and keeps its office open year-round.

Our services include a confidential phone line, an extensive lending library and pamphlet collection, and we sell non-prescription safer sex products and sex toys at cost, which ensures that products are financially accessible to clients. Volunteers provide free educational workshops on campus, at a variety of venues in Kingston including high schools, and in surrounding communities. The SHRC also maintains an informational website.
AMS student fees allow the SHRC to run educational programs and events,  purchase important teaching tools, maintain a large product base to cater to diverse clients, and grow our resource library to include new topics in sexual health and replace outdated material.

QPID

Queen’s Project on International Development (QPID)’s student fee is up for renewal this year! If approved at referendum, QPID’s student fee will remain at $2.00 subject to individual opt-out. QPID relies on this funding to support its initiatives.

For the past 19 years, QPID has been one of Canada’s only entirely student-run non-governmental organizations. What began as an engineering project building water wells in Guyana has grown into an organization that engages students of all faculties and disciplines in several different initiatives.

A component to QPID’s mandate is its international and Canadian summer projects. In order to participate in these projects, QPID partners with non-governmental organizations in project regions to work on development-based initiatives addressing community-identified needs. QPID hopes that through its projects, cooperants gain an appreciation for the complexities of development and the importance of active local and global citizenship. In the summer of 2009, QPID sent a total of 14 Queen’s students to Nunavut, Guyana, and Ghana.

On campus and in the community, QPID’s Kingston Projects committee hosts an annual, completely free conference for local high school students. At the conference, students have the opportunity to engage with development through interactive workshops, presentations, and discussion with speakers. Additionally, weekly QPID Forum on campus encourages Queen’s students to interact with development-based topics through discussion. Both are a valuable way for Queen’s students to engage with development.

Funds raised from the student fee assist significantly in funding QPID’s local and global initiatives. Without the support of the AMS student fee, QPID would be unable to participate in the initiatives it does. On October 27th and 28th, vote YES to the continuation of QPID’s student fee and support one of the most unique student groups in Canada!

Telephone Aid Line Kingston

Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK) is a confidential, anonymous and non-judgmental volunteer-based service providing crisis, distress, befriending and information support. TALK’s aim is to meet the needs of a diverse population, principally within Queen’s, Kingston and the surrounding area. We are a safe place to call when you don’t know where to turn.

The phone lines at TALK are staffed by trained volunteers from 7pm to 3am every night of the year. We handle many topics and situations, including issues surrounding sexual orientation, eating disorders, self-harm, suicide and abuse. TALK provides a wide range of services from crisis management to offering information to other agencies in the community.

TALK has been in operation as a non-profit organization since 1973 and was founded by a Queen’s student. It has grown to become an accredited member of Distress Centres of Ontario (DCO), a registered charity and an official AMS club.

The AMS student interest fees contribute to a large portion of TALK’s budget. These allow us to maintain the operation of our phone lines, to provide our volunteers with the training they need and to raise awareness of our organization and its services. Throughout our affiliation with Queen’s, TALK has been a visible profile on campus. We publish the ‘Learning to Listen’ guide, which teaches active listening skills and crisis response techniques. This is available to other organizations as well as to dons and floor seniors in Queen’s residences. We are always looking for new volunteers at TALK and extensive training sessions are run twice a year.

For more information, feel free to call our business line at 613-531-8529. Need to talk? Call 613-544-1771.

The Earth Centre – AMS Referendum Blurb
What It Is:
The Earth Centre is a student-run, not-for-profit AMS club that strives to educate Queen’s students and Kingston community members alike about the value of sustainable living. The centre functions both as a store and resource centre on the Queen’s campus. It is run by a dedicated eight-member executive committee and is completely staffed by student volunteers.
The goal of the Earth Centre is to offer students an opportunity to transform their environmental concern into positive action through responsible consumerism and innovative discussion. The Earth Centre is a place that encourages students to engage in a positive dialogue about the environment through exposure to new information and opinions on environmental topics. The products the Earth Centre carries offer a more sustainable, responsible alternative to students’ consumer needs.

Goals of The Earth Centre:
The Earth Centre sells environmentally friendlier alternatives to common products, such as household cleaning products, personal hygiene goods, recycled paper products and organic cotton shirts. All products are sold at-cost. Our products are made with natural ingredients (no synthetic chemicals or dyes) that are biodegradable, not animal tested and/or vegan, recyclable or made of post-consumer recycled materials and, when possible, organic. The Earth Centre also contains a growing resource library of books, periodicals, and videos available for public use. Additionally, The Earth Centre regularly organizes initiatives aimed at improving environmental awareness on campus and in the Kingston community.


CHAT
The Chat Program strives to promote visible multilingualism and diversity on campus and in the greater community using free colour-coded language buttons. These buttons enable participants to display languages they know or want to practice, teach, or learn. The button program currently features 23 languages and will be adding 3 more this year. We will continue to add new languages to the collection in order to represent the diverse society we live in, break down communication barriers and create a positive environment for the learning and sharing of languages.
In addition to the button program, Chat strives to create opportunities for students to learn languages on campus. Opportunities include free language classes run by volunteers, a buddy program and conversation groups. These initiatives are made possible only by the enthusiasm of participants and the funding received from opt-outable fees.  
We are asking for your support to continue the Chat Program’s $0.65 opt-outable fee. We hope to maintain our program and keep Chat buttons and initiatives free for students and the community.


AIESEC
AIESEC Queen's is a local chapter of AIESEC, the world's largest student-run organization, and an international platform for youth to discover and develop their potential.  AIESEC Queen's members have the opportunity to become involved in our innovative development process, which includes unmatched leadership experiences and global internships.  AIESEC Queen's has been in Kingston since 1968, and develops the leadership skills and cultural understanding of students in higher education at Queen's University and in Kingston.

Queen’s Best Buddies
Best Buddies Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing our communities through one-to-one friendships between individuals with intellectual disabilities and students.
Founded in the United States by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies established its first chapter in Canada in 1993 and was incorporated as a registered Canadian charity in 1995.
Today, there are 180 Best Buddies chapters operating in numerous communities throughout Canada, involving approximately 3000 active volunteers. Queen’s was the first Best Buddies Chapter established in Kingston!
In our chapter Queen’s students are matched with a member of the Kingston community with an intellectual disability based on interests and compatibility. Buddy pairs then hang out every few weeks one on one as well as part of larger social activities which are organized by the executive team. The number of buddy pairs each year is dependent on the number of interested volunteers however our numbers grow every year!
Our program gives people with intellectual disabilities the chance to have experiences which most people take for granted - going for coffee, out to a movie, or simply enjoying the company of a good friend. For a person with an intellectual disability, friendship helps to ease the isolation, disempowerment or loneliness that often deepens the challenges that he or she faces daily. By having a student friend, Buddies are able to explore their world with a peer who brings empathy, laughter and support. Please help us keep the buddy tradition alive!

QHO
Queen’s Health Outreach (QHO) is the only entirely student-run charity on campus that is dedicated to promoting health both locally and abroad. QHO started as a small group of medical students working in Guyana approximately 20 years ago and has since blossomed into a multi-faceted organisation of over 100 dedicated volunteers working to promote all aspects of health on a global scale.

The organisation focuses on developing partnerships between Queen’s students and like-minded local organisations in Belize, Guyana, Kenya, and Northern Canada. Within the Kingston community, QHO also runs a year-long Kingston Activities project and sponsors an online health and development magazine called Within Reach. While each project is unique in its structure, all are aimed to increase awareness and respond to local and global health issues through peer education and mentoring.

Funds directed to QHO help approximately 40 Queen’s students travel as Peer Educators for six to eight weeks in the spring and summer to work in local elementary and high schools. Peer Educators aim to empower students through community-specific curriculum on topics such as HIV/AIDS, responsible sexuality, puberty, drug abuse and more. Projects also run community outreach and design interactive health awareness events. Funds are further used to continually maintain and revise training curriculums and plan health awareness events in the Kingston community. QHO recognises the importance of sustainable development and is dedicated to active self-evaluation and growth. Our major goals this year include monitoring and evaluation efforts and establishing an interdisciplinary evaluation team for the organisation.
Lighthouse Wire Magazine
Lighthouse Wire Magazine is not about lighthouses or wires; it’s about the visual arts. For over seven years it has passionately maintained a tradition of promoting the visual arts to the Queen’s community. Acting as an annual publication dedicated to the exposure of the visual arts, it features contemporary artwork in a variety of medias, as well as art related content from sources such as: Queen's University, the Kingston community, nationally, and abroad. It is the only publication on campus dedicated entirely to visual arts, offering an excellent platform for upcoming artists and current students to show their work. It also allows those who may not be familiar with visual arts to be exposed and learn more. The magazine would not be possible without the support of the AMS and the AMS opt out fee of $0.75.  By paying this small fee you are not only supporting Lighthouse Wire Magazine, you are supporting the arts community at Queen's.

New Questions

The Empress

Founded in 1993, The Empress is the only bilingual publication at Queen's University. The quarterly magazine aims to promote Chinese & Asian culture in the Queen's community as well as serving as an information forum for Asian students on campus. The magazine has enjoyed a long history of 15 years of publication and is an integral part of cultural diversity at Queen’s. In the past, opt-out student fees have helped subsidize the expenses of printing the publication in addition to sponsorship and fundraising efforts by the executive committee. This opt-out fee of $0.25 is necessary for the Empress to be able to continue providing this magazine to students of the Queen’s community free of charge.

Keep a Child Alive

Keep a Child Alive (KCA) Queen’s Chapter is a student-run club at Queen’s University that supports the mission and work of the non-governmental organization Keep a Child Alive. KCA Queen’s Chapter raises awareness of the AIDS pandemic on campus and takes action with KCA to provide Antiretroviral medication andsurrounding care for children and their families living with HIV/AIDS inSub-Saharan Africa and India. It only costs $1.00 a day to do this. We are currently looking to increase the individual opt-out fee from $0.20 to $0.50, so that every two students will keepa child alive for one more day.

Mostly Autonomous Sailboat Team

Queen’s Mostly Autonomous Sailboat Team (M.A.S.T.) is a unique undergraduate student team that designs and constructs robotic sailing vessels for competition at an international level. During the competition the boat steers, hoists and trims the sails based on wind, GPS and water speed measurements without human intervention. M.A.S.T. has represented both Queen’s and Canada at international conferences and competitions where they have earned many awards for their performance. With over 50 participating members, M.A.S.T. is one of the biggest and most active design teams on campus. Students from all faculties and years are welcome to join and require no previous experience.

M.A.S.T. is the only educational initiative on campus that teaches marine architecture and one of the few teams that focuses on systems engineering. Members are also exposed to real-world problems, hands-on construction and project management experience, which are instrumental in finding employment after graduation. Some of the beneficial applications of the technology M.A.S.T. develops include alternatives to large-scale oceanographic research vessels, handicapped sailor assistance, sailor training, sailing safety, ocean surveillance and carbon emission-neutral transportation.

M.A.S.T. is asking to establish an optional $0.50 fee that is subject to individual opt-out. Your support will help M.A.S.T. continue to be successful and allow them to represent Queen’s internationally. Allocated funds will be used for materials, software, transportation to competitions and building equipment.

Queen’s Project Red

Queen's project red is seeking the establishment of a 25 cent opt-out fee. This entirely student run club aims to raise awareness and funds for the heart and stroke foundation of Ontario through a fashion show organized in february, heart month. It also aims to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle among students. Funds raised by opt-out fees will be used to organize smokers and bake sales but the majority will be used to subsidize the fashion show. Funds will be used for equipment rentals, location rental and subsidizing materials for the student designers.

The Living Energy Lab

Living Energy Lab (LEL) is a design team focused on reducing energy consumption in homes.  Students from engineering, commerce and environmental sciences work each year on projects varying from a dual-flush toilet retrofit to heat loss characterization in homes to appliance load reduction.  Currently, LEL is working in partnership with the AMS Sustainability office on Greenovations, a project where we measure the effects of specific ways of reducing energy consumption in student homes, such as putting plastic over glass on windows or vacuuming coils on the back of your refrigerator.  LEL is also working with the Tea Room on a compost heat recovery project, to see if it is possible to use heat generated by their vermin-composters to generate electricity.  With the data gathered in LEL’s tests, LEL does community outreach programs with local schools and at Queen’s, to show how to save energy, and therefore money, on your utility bills!  The mission of LEL is to quantitatively assess energy conservation ideas for homes, and use that information to educate the community.

Queen’s Secularists and Inquirers

Queen’s Secularists and Inquirers is a discussion group on campus, meant to provide a free-forum for issues of secularism, challenge dogma, insure a diversity of ideas are heard at Queen’s, and allow inquiring minds to network. Good membership insures the quality of the discussion - without our members we are nothing. To that end, we’ve proposed a 10 cent optional student activity fee to fund our key budgetary concern: advertising. The service we offer (discussion) is free, but attracting membership each year to maintain the highly engaging and educational quality of the group is not. This will also give us more financial flexibility, allowing the group to expand and host more events on campus. The kinds of events we’ve hosted in the past are movie screenings, forums with profs, and fundraising for micro-loans charities.  

Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change

Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC) is the only student run environmental- activist group on campus that works directly with the Queen’s administration in order to develop and implement more sustainable policies on Queen’s campus. We believe that large-scale political action and policy changes are the most effective way to go about reducing the university’s carbon footprint, ultimately putting Queen’s where is should be – a showcase for sustainability. Our group differs both in organization and goals from other environmental groups at Queen’s. The scope if this group is larger than most other groups since we have a very large membership and executive committee.

Global climate change and environmental degradation are THE challenges of our generation. Our actions now will define the future of every generation. Our goal is to help Queen’s and Kingston to become part of the growing movement of cities and educational institutions across the world who are beginning to engage with this problem. Our hope is not only to bring about change through our actions but to demonstrate that the change needed can and must come from students and concerned individuals. We hope to empower students beyond feeling that environmentalism is about recycling or buying eco, or turning of lights.

Through political actions we hope to send a clear message to the government of Canada that Canadians are demanding action and that our current policies (the world in the developed world) are not only embarrassing but if not reversed could derail international negotiations.

QBACC is always accepting new members – those students, faculty and staff who are frustrated with the sense of feeling helpless in the fight against climate change. If you are interested please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Sustainability Action Fund

The Sustainability Action Fund (SAF) is a new initiative to create a grant-making fund for sustainability-focused undergraduate student initiatives at Queen’s University. Any undergraduate-run project that plans to reduce the university’s negative environmental impact and make campus more sustainable will be eligible for funding. Grants given will fund student-run projects that increase campus energy efficiency, reduce waste, or educate the Queen’s community on sustainability-related issues. Such projects include, but are not limited to: student research, projects proposed and to be managed by students, and internships. To be considered for SAF funding, projects must meet the following criteria:

Projects must directly address environmental sustainability on the Queen’s University campus, or in the capacity that on-campus activities influence sustainability off-campus.

All proposed projects must have a clearly defined, measureable, and quantifiable outcome.

Project proposals may be submitted by Queen’s University students, staff, administrators, or faculty, provided that at undergraduate students have strong involvement in the project in a managerial capacity.

The SAF shall only fund projects that go above and beyond minimum sustainability requirements already established by the university.

All projects selected for funding shall have a mechanism for measurement, evaluation, and follow-up after funding has been dispersed.

Projects shall have publicity, education, and outreach components.

The fee of $2.85 per undergraduate student (optional) will generate the funds available through the SAF grants. An annually appointed SAF Granting Committee, comprised of voting undergraduate student members and advisory faculty, staff, and administrator members, will select grant recipients. This Committee and all its activities will be fully accountable, submitting annual reports of all activities, including projects receiving grants and financial statements.

QSAB

QSAB works with the Department of Volunteer Services at the Kingston General Hospital to enhance the student volunteer experience by providing leadership and mentorship to the student volunteer programs. Many Queen’s students volunteer their time and effort to the KGH volunteer force, and QSAB is present to nurture a welcoming and supportive environment for these volunteers in addition to providing education, development, and fundraising opportunities for interested students. Events range from fundraising bake sales to seminars addressing topics such as medical school and communication with those who have mental disabilities. The proposed student opt-out fee will help QSAB minimize operating costs while implementing health care education workshops, volunteer appreciation events, and fundraising initiatives. QSAB is actively involved in furthering the mission of the KGH Auxiliary in the areas of fundraising, patient services, and community involvement. All money fundraised by QSAB goes towards improving patient care and comfort at KGH.

Make-a-Wish

Make-A-Wish Queen’s is a student volunteer sub-chapter of Make-A-Wish Canada, and operates under the umbrella of Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario, one of eight chapters across the country. In 2009, we began with the purpose of improving the quality of life for local children with life-threatening illnesses, and became the first wish-granting group based in Kingston. We are the first 100% student run sub-chapter of Make-A-Wish in Eastern Ontario, and one of the first student groups in Canada responsible for the entire wish granting process from fundraising to wish fulfillment.

Make-A-Wish Queen’s is a part of the largest not-for-profit wish-granting organization in the world, but we are committed to helping our own Kingston community discover and share the power of a wish. Wish granting has a tremendous ability to restore hope for a sick child, and can also have immense resonating effects on his/her health. This make wishes truly magical for our wish kids, and their friends and family who fight their illnesses alongside them.

The optional student activity fee of $1.00, subject to individual opt-out, would aid in providing Make-A-Wish Queen’s with financial stability as we pursue our goals. The primary goal for our student organization, set in collaboration with the Eastern Ontario chapter, is to financially and logistically support all of the Kingston area wishes. Each wish, on average, costs approximately $7,000, justifying our selection of a $1.00 fee. Our goals are ambitious, but with the help of the Queen’s student population, we can make them a reality and have a powerful impact on local children with life-threatening illnesses and Kingston at large.

Free The Children

Queen’s Free the Children (QFTC) is a brand new chapter of Free the Children, a Canadian charity founded by Craig Kielburger that has become world renowned for working towards breaking the cycle of child poverty through education.  QFTC's primary goal is to fundraise the cost of building schools and community infrastructure projects through Free the Children’s Adopt a Village Program.

QFTC is currently working towards the goal of fundraising the cost of building a school in the Kenyan village of Salabwek in the Massai Mara.

More than 120 million children around the world are denied the basic right to an education—the key to ending extreme poverty and hunger. Education ensures that children learn valuable skills that help them grow, protect themselves from disease, earn a better living and understand their rights to ensure they’re never exploited. But in many areas, schools simply don’t exist or are in no condition for teaching and learning and this is where QFTC wants to make change.

By fundraising to build schools with Free the Children, Queen’s students are empowering Kenyan youth to break the cycle of poverty.

Powered by Youth in Action Groups like QFTC , Free the Children has built over 500 schools in over 45 countries and has reached over 1 million youth through its North American youth empowerment programs. QFTC follows Free the Children’s holistic development model which encompasses both international development and youth empowerment programs by initiating local campaigns such as Halloween for Hunger, to collect canned goods for Kingston food banks and the Vow of Silence which raises awareness for youth around the world who are not fortunate enough to have a voice to have their opinions and ideas heard.

Queen’s Swing Club

The Queen’s Swing Club is dedicated to sharing the love of Swing Dancing, both with Queen’s students and the Kingston community. Beginner lessons are held every Monday night, followed by social dancing to practice all the cool new moves learned in the lesson. Swing Dancing is a great form of exercise, a way to meet new people, hear great music, and learn about the history and culture of Swing. Most importantly, it’s a lot of fun!

We would like to establish a $0.20 student fee (subject to individual opt out), to help us cover our costs. As one of the most affordable student clubs ($2.00 to drop in or $10 for a membership for the whole year), this twenty cent fee would allow the Queen’s Swing Club to hold more special events, such as live band nights and workshops, and at cheaper prices.

For more information about the club, visit our website at www.queensswingclub.com .

Plebicite

Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change

The Tar Sands development in Alberta has the potential to be one of the largest environmental disasters in North America.  With the extraordinary amount of CO2 being emitted from this project, Canada will never be able to meet any necessary emissions reductions as long as the Tar Sands are being developed. The Tar Sands project is embarrassing Canada on an International Level, and embarrassing for any institution that supports its development as Queen’s is doing through investments. Arresting global warming and continuing the development of the Canadian tar sands are two incompatible actions. For this reason, Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change (QBACC) has requested that Queen’s divest from the Tar Sands. In addition, we request that Queen’s sign the Presidents Climate Initiative (PCI), a powerful commitment that would obligate Queens to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in accord with the most current science, incorporate climate change and environmental awareness into our curriculum, and make an important statement about the university’s position on fighting global climate change.  The PCI is the most stringent and powerful climate commitment a university can sign; any other contract the university may offer would not be as effective at reducing our carbon footprint.  Signing on to such a contract would bring Queen’s to where it should be: as a leader for sustainability in Canada.