The AMS concluded its final Assembly of the 2024-25 academic year with conversations addressing leadership burnout and reinforcing the roles of elected officials.
Assembly met on Dec. 2 in Memorial Hall at Kingston City Hall, starting at 6 p.m. and lasting approximately four hours. This month, the theme of Assembly was “Housing as a Human Right,” following a trend of monthly Assembly themes, including the “Queer Experience at Queen’s” in October and “Truth & Reconciliation” in September.
David Gordon, a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning within the Department of Geography and Planning, opened Assembly by addressing “studentification.” He explained how a shift toward student-dominated neighbourhoods impacts the environment and economy, highlighting issues like rising rents and declining greenery. He urged both the University and the City to address studentification by building more residences to help mitigate negative effects.
After Gordon’s presentation, the AMS executive and Assembly delivered their monthly reports. AMS President Owen Rocchi addressed the delay in the JDUC revitalization project but remained optimistic about the AMS’s move despite the setback.
READ MORE: Another JDUC move-in delay causes AMS to withhold setting a firm timeline
Vice-President (University Affairs) Ruth Osunde highlighted key appointments, including the Social Issues Commissioner (External) and Orientation Roundtable (ORT) Coordinator. Vice-President (Operations) Ayan Chowdhury reflected on the fall semester, acknowledging both challenges and successes. He emphasized preparations for the JDUC’s reopening and a smooth transition for AMS services to the building.
Motions and Ratification
When discussing Motion five, which called for a reconsideration of the Nov. 20 electronic vote on club ratifications from Motion 13 of the Special General Assembly, it was noted the online voting ballots had been distributed to ed students for approval through the Simply Voting platform.
Sylvie Garabedian, AMS secretariat, informed Assembly only 19 students participated in the online vote following November’s Special General Assembly. Since ratification required all 19 votes to be in favour, the motion failed by one vote. As a result, the club ratification motion was brought back for reconsideration during December Assembly.
Later in the evening, a motion moved by Garabedian and seconded by Rocchi, required the Elections Team to defer final decisions on the eligibility of AMS executive candidates who had been terminated from AMS employment. Garabedian clarified the current Referenda and Elections policy states individuals whose employment was terminated by the AMS are ineligible to seek candidacy for the year following their termination.
Garabedian expressed concerns about the broader implications of the Referenda and Elections policy, noting terminations could result from various circumstances, such as students being overwhelmed by their workload. Assembly attendees raised concerns about the motion being presented without prior approval from the AMS Board of Directors.
“I was under the impression that no policies could be brought to Assembly that contradict our policies and corporate documents,” Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale said.
When asked whether the AMS Board of Directors approved the motion presented, Chowdhury confirmed it hadn’t been. Boytchuk-Hale expressed concerns about setting a risky corporate precedent by discussing a policy the Board of Directors hadn’t authorized, suggesting such discussions could have implications for future governance practice. The motion ultimately failed to gain the approval of Assembly.
Assembly proceeded with ratifying Ali Al-Safadi, ArtSci ’26, as the new Social Issues Commissioner (External), who will be replacing Kaan Sumer, CompSci ’25, who left the role in October. Assembly ratified Ali Haider, HealthSci ’26, as the new ORT Coordinator. Both individuals expressed their commitment to their roles and ing the student body.
READ MORE: Meet the 2024-25 AMS commissioners
Before the discussion period, Assembly appointed Ahnaf Khan, ArtSci ’27, as Speaker of Assembly for the 2024-25 school year. Khan highlighted his experience with the Queen’s Debating Union and the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.
Discussion Period
The discussion period began with a statement from Garabedian, who expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be in her current role, acknowledging it was something she never envisioned for herself.
Garabedian explained her main reason for taking on the role of the Secretariat was because she saw concerns that needed to be addressed. She explained her role has been busy with policy work, noting that while contracted for 30 hours a week, she often works 50.
“People forget that we’re students, […] and we’re in these roles because we wanted to take a student-centred approach, but because we’re students, we’re not perfect, and mistakes are going to happen, and quite frankly we can’t change everything in a year,” Garabedian said.
Boytchuk-Hale raised concerns about working overtime and the Secretariat’s workload.
“I highly recommend having a conversation with your boss to re-evaluate things. […] I would like to think they would be encouraging of you to reduce your goal plan for Assembly this year. […] Even though it might be ‘accomplishing less,’ it would allow all of us to think more deeply about policy changes,” Boytchuk-Hale said.
Commerce Society President Sagaana Sivathason expressed gratitude for the work done by Garabedian and the AMS executives but emphasized that, as an elected representative, part of their job is to voice concerns on behalf of their constituents, even if those concerns can’t always be immediately resolved.
“I was elected to hold the AMS able, that’s part of my job description. I would be doing a disservice to my constituents if I weren’t to raise my concerns to the AMS. My job is to voice my concerns, and, what you choose to do with that is totally under your purview,” Sivathason said.
Another brief discussion focused on Guidelines on Peaceful Protest at Queen’s, which was released by the University on Oct. 3. Silas Tamlyn, vice-president (operations) of the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, argued the policy is confusing and vague—a concern he’s heard from students.
READ MORE: Protest guidelines spark outrage as students argue their voices are being soundproofed
Osunde echoed these sentiments, noting students at large are worried about how the policy might affect students’ non-academic misconduct records. She highlighted the perceived hypocrisy between what’s taught in the classroom and what’s enforced through University policies.
“When President Rocchi and I sat down in the office [Principal’s office], we said, you [Queen’s] teach us in our classes to have opinions, you teach us to be self-driven and be the future leaders of tomorrow but then you kind of want to limit something that’s a way students represent themselves and a way students advocate for themselves and each other,” she added.
While this information was “well received” by the Principal’s office, according to Osunde, AMS executives were asked to collect questions regarding the guidelines that anyone has for them. Osunde said the best course of action for the AMS to develop moving forward is to develop a clear understanding of the existing policies before releasing a statement.
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