Working Inside the Academic Affairs Commission

Ever wondered what it’s like to work within the AMS? Well I’m here to give you the inside scoop of both the Academic Affairs Commission and the Marketing and Communications office. Both are absolutely essential parts of the AMS as the AAC produces much of our academic policy and the Marketing and Communications office runs all of the advertisements for the AMS and ensures that they adhere to visual identity guidelines.

My time within the AAC was spent mostly creating, organizing and facilitating events and drumming up student engagement as the Deputy of Engagement. In a simple structural description, the Deputy of Engagement sits with the other deputies at a middle level between the Commissioner and committee Chairs. The position is heavily event oriented as you are constantly helping to plan events with your Teaching Awards or Student Faculty Relations committees. One of the best parts of the position is the number of people that you get to engage with in the Queen’s community. I found that throughout my time as Deputy of Engagement I met many students who I wouldn’t otherwise meet in my day-to-day campus routine.

Now I’m currently working as a Marketing Deputy within the Marketing and Communications office. My role now is very different from my role in the AAC, first because of the general structure as I do not have any committees. It’s a nice change to not have any delegation tasks this year, as tasks are often given to me by the Brand Coordinator to complete within a structured timeframe. In many ways there’s a lot more independence in this role given the structural qualities of the MarComm office and the nature of the role and work. As Marketing Deputy B I create many of the graphics for the Academic Affairs Commission, Municipal Affairs Commission and the Campus Activities Commission and take on any responsibilities that the Director of Marketing and Brand Coordinator see fit with the Marketing Deputy positions. Although I don’t meet with nearly as many people as I did in my AAC position, I have enjoyed being able to broaden my skillset in the areas of graphic design and marketing.

As you can see now, there are subtle differences in the way that the commission and office are structured and in the way that they work. The combination of the two roles have allowed me to not only further immerse myself in the Queen’s community but also to expand my knowledge of the AMS past just a surface visual. Working in this kind of organization within the university has prepared me for the realities and challenges that “real-life” holds post-grad — this is a comforting feeling as a fourth year. Throughout my time in the AMS I have come to see the little ways that the society effects the everyday lives of Queen’s students whether it be the services it provides or the policy it makes and how important it is for Queen’s students even beyond university.

Written by Lily Harris, Marketing Deputy, ArtSci ’17