1

Introduction
JULY 2016

To new and returning Arts and Science students,

Our names are Darrean Baga and Brian MacKay, and we are the new President and VicePresident of the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS). We are incredibly excited to
be serving as your ASUS Executive for the 2016-2017 academic year, and cannot wait until
September when everyone is back on campus.
For the past two months, we have been working diligently to make the projects outlined in
our platform a reality. Some of these initiatives include the creation of an undergraduate research hub, increasing grade transparency before final exams, and overseeing the operational
and financial aspects of ASUS Camps and ASUS Orientation.
This report provides a brief overview of what ASUS has been up to over the summer, what we
as the executive have accomplished so far, and what projects and initiatives we hope to accomplish during our term.

If you have a question about anything ASUS related or what we are working on, feel free to
shoot us an email anytime! Darrean can be reached at president@asus.queensu.ca and Brian
can be reached at vp@asus.queensu.ca.

Contents

Executive Projects

Council Projects

ASUS Camps

ASUS Orientation

Get Involved

Executive Projects
Undergraduate Research Hub
We have been working diligently to improve access to undergraduate research
for Arts and Science students. Our initial plan to have a centralized research
posting board has evolved into a larger project. We are now advocating for an
undergraduate research hub for Arts and Science students to cultivate and
strengthen an environment of inquiry at Queens.
Since this project aligns with the universitys goal of enhancing experiential and
inquisitive methods of learning, we have received substantial support from the
administration. Such a hub will incorporate various research initiatives on campus,
promote sources of research funding, and centralize all research opportunities
available for Arts and Science students. Furthermore, we have been looking at
new ways to provide more research grants for students, while at the same time
increasing the number of research positions.
We have been working closely with administration in the Faculty of Arts and
Science, Career Services, and the Office of the Vice Principal (Research), and will
be sitting on several working groups to move this project forward. In writing a
formal proposal and sitting down with various administrators, we have created a
thorough plan for the implementation of such a hub and will continue to
advocate for these changes throughout our term. We are pleased to announce
institutional support and buy-in for this project, and are excited to move forward.
Grading Transparency
We are currently working on a proposal to present potential academic policy
changes to enforce grading transparency before the final exam period. We have
discussed this idea with the Dean and the Associate Deans of the Faculty. We are
all in agreeance that grade transparency is imperative not only because grades
are used as a feedback mechanism for students, but also because knowing your
grade prior to an exam can reduce feelings of uncertainty and anxiety for
students who are already under high levels of stress.
At the moment, we still need to consult with various undergraduate chairs
regarding this change due to the varied grading practices in each department.
While this will be a time-consuming process, we remain committed to ensuring
that no student walks into their final exam without knowing their academic
standing.

ASUS Facilities
This year, our focus for our facilities (i.e. the ASUS Offices and the ASUS Red Room), is to
improve accessibility, functionality, and professionalism for the Society. We believe that
student dollars should not be the sole source of funding to improve university property. Thus,
we have consulted Physical Plant Services, Campus Planning, the Equity Office, Environmental
Health and Safety, the Office of the Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration), and the
Director of Finance and Administration in Faculty of Arts and Science in order to locate
funding. In doing so, we can identify best practices for the spaces that our students interact
with on a daily basis. These discussions involve the future of ASUS and what is means to have
limited resources to improve our facilities.
With respect to the ASUS Offices, we are working with the Faculty of Arts and Science to
locate funding to improve the functionality of the space through much needed upgrades and,
in the long-term, to reach AODA compliance. ASUS has occupied 183 University Avenue since
1990s, and as such requires improvements in order to better serve our 1,000+ volunteers, and
the rest of the student body.
On the other hand, we are looking at ways to make the ASUS Red Room more available for
student use. We are working with Physical Plant Services and Campus Security in order to
ensure that the space is regularly monitored and maintained. We are also exploring ways with
the Faculty and Campus Planning to make the ASUS Red Room more of a study space and
lounge, given the increasing demand for group study space on campus.

Executive Projects
Relationship with the Faculty
We have been focused on academic advocacy since we took office, and want to build upon a
strong partnership between the Faculty and the Society. Both the Faculty and the Society
have the same goals: to improve the student experience. As a result, we have been working
closely with the Deans Office and other members of administration in order to not only
forward our platform, but to also provide student input on Faculty initiatives.
On July 1st, 2016, Queens University Provost Alan Harrison announced that Dr. Gordon Smith
will be serving as the Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science for the 2016-2017 year.
We have had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Smith on several occasions, where we
discussed our goals and priorities for the year. We look forward to working closely with him,
to having a productive year, and to furthering the relationship between the Faculty and our
Society.
Queens 175th Anniversary
At ASUS, we are incredibly excited to be a part of Queens 175th Anniversary! We are
currently exploring ways to incorporate this celebration throughout the many events held
during the academic year. We will be working very closely with the Queens Student Alumni
Association in order to improve alumni engagement within the Society. From speaker panels
on our conferences to career talks for departments, our various commissioners and officers
will be focused on offering events worth celebrating. This is an incredible milestone for
Queens, and we look forward to celebrating it with you!

Summer Projects
Tilt Partnership
In order to simplify payments and reduce service fees, ASUS has partnered with
the crowdfunding platform Tilt for the 2016-2017 year. Our partnership allows
ASUS to collect money and sell items for all ASUS initiatives with no fees incurred.
This means that all ASUS committees, events, and DSCs can collect money,
facilitate clothing orders, and sell tickets through Tilt with no fees charged. This
year we are planning to sell Arts & Science Formal tickets through Tilt in order to
make the process easier for graduating students and to eliminate waiting in line.
Feel free to click here to view and follow the ASUS Tilt page!
Website Revitalization
Our Marketing Officer, Rona Lao, and our IT Director, Christian St. Louis, are
currently working on a project to revitalize the ASUS website. They are
undertaking this project because the hosting and design service we currently use
has become a major strain on our operating budget. Thus, in order to better
allocate student dollars, we are looking to find an affordable service that will offer
third-party integration, e-commerce, security and customizability, while
improving the design, layout, and user experience. The deadline for this project is
on September 7th, 2016 so that we can start the school year with a website that
better reflects our Society.

Council Projects
Academics
In the world of Academics, the planning process for the upcoming year has really sped up. All
Departmental Student Councils, committees, and journals have been working on their
Strategic Plans and Budgets so that they can be used to guide the final Academics Strategic
Plan, which will be submitted in a couple of weeks.
A focus of the commission is the Queens Canadian Leadership Conference (QCLC). The cochairs have some big ideas and changes for QCLC. One of the biggest pillars of the Strategic
Plan will be its revitalization and development. QCLC will occur in February and will work with
alumni to focus on professional development, sustainability, and cohesiveness.
All of the academic journals within the Commission have experienced notable growth and
development this past year. Thus, a goal this year is to capitalize on that momentum. Data, a
new Computer Science journal, will be focusing on the creation of a solid organizational
structure. Zac Baum, Editor-in-Chief, has been working since April on how to best implement
the journal within the School of Computing, while looking at academically sound strategies
for publishing and collecting research.
Another project this summer has been the Graduate School Information Packages. At the
moment, most of the information has been compiled. Next steps include determining
mediums for dissemination which are accessible and easy to understand. The Academics
Commissioner is looking forward to continuing his work on some other ideas this summer,
including a research funding initiative and drafting a proposal for a new journal on
Indigenous Affairs.
For more information, please contact Mitchell Thibault at academics@asus.queensu.ca.

Council Projects
Community Outreach
The Community Outreach Commission has been busy working on a variety of initiatives in
order to organize the upcoming school year. The Commission is excited to have partnered
with the Engineering Society in organizing the annual Terry Fox Run, and look forward seeing
a successful event come to fruition in September. The goal of the Community Outreach
Commission over the next year is to strengthen the purpose and direction of all twelve
committees; the entire Commission has been working diligently to identify potential new
partnerships and areas of growth.
The best part about the Community Outreach Commission is the passion and dedication all of
our 400+ volunteers have for a variety of causes. The Commission will build upon the positive
volunteer experience that ASUS is known for, and will work on establishing a volunteer hub
that will streamline all volunteering opportunities. In addition, Community Outreach has been
meeting with various partners in the Kingston community to gain a greater understanding of
how their needs fit within the mandate of the Commission.
On behalf of the entire Community Outreach Commission, we cannot wait for you to come
back in September! Come visit us during Orientation Week to learn more about ways to get
involved with the greater Kingston community.
For more information, please contact Lexi Ewing at community@asus.queensu.ca.

Council Projects
Equity
All seven committees within the Equity Commission have been extremely dedicated to
preparing their portfolios for the upcoming school year. All co-chairs and producers have
been working collaboratively to draft preliminary and final strategic plans and budgets. All
committees are encouraged to collaborate on events next year with student groups on
campus that are both internal and external to the ASUS. The intention of increased
collaboration is to strive to address topics of equity in an intersectional context and to expand
the reach of the commission.
The Equity Commissioner has been working with Queens Student Alumni Association on a
revitalization project of a social justice newspaper called Surface, which was published by
the society in the late 1980s. This project aims to create a dialogue between alumni of the
Queens community and current students in an attempt to highlight the history of antioppressive advocacy on campus.
Additionally, the Commissioner has been working on creating tailored training for all cochairs involved in the Equity Commission, which will address the intersection of antioppressive advocacy and self-care practices. This training is intended to address the unique
types of challenges that are often encountered in anti-oppressive advocacy and equity work
and help provide volunteers with the tools to not only seek support from others, but also how
to establish support for themselves through self-care.
For more information, please contact Lily Cuthbertson at equity@asus.queensu.ca.

Council Projects
Governance
At this point in the summer the Governance Office has been working on keeping the Society
running smoothly and efficiently. The ASUS Assembly dates for 2016-2017 have been set and
the rooms have been booked. The office is also working on setting the election dates for the
Fall and Winter elections.
The Policy and Elections Review Committee Chair has been busy working on the ASUS Policy
and Constitution, and on ensuring that it is up to date and organized. The Chief Returning
Officer has also been working on creating a framework and budget for the upcoming
elections.
There will be a fair amount of opportunities to get involved in student government and the
Governance Office in the fall. The Policy and Elections Review Committee will be hiring its
committee members, and the Elections Team will be hiring three Deputy Returning Officers to
help monitor and run elections. Additionally, there are seats in ASUS Assembly that will be
filled by the Fall by-election. These positions are: 2019 Year Representatives, 2020 Year
Representatives, three at-large ASUS Representatives to the AMS, and one first year
Representative to the AMS.
For more information, please contact Matthew Kennelly at governance@asus.queensu.ca.

Council Projects
Marketing
The Marketing Office has been very busy this summer gearing up for Orientation Week and
the rest of the schoolyear. Promotional items for have been ordered and are currently in
production. The Marketing Deputy, Laura OGrady, has been busy organizing and creating the
designs for our amazing new promotional shirts, while helping Rona Lao, the Marketing
Officer, with the restructuring of the Promotions Team, now known as the Marketing Team. In
addition, the Team Leads within the Marketing Office have begun finalizing their Strategic
Plans and budgets for the upcoming school year.
Photography, Graphic Design, Video and the newly restructured Marketing Team have
exciting new plans in store! Planning for the first Office-wide intensive training week is well
underway, in order to provide our volunteers with the opportunity to develop their skillset
and to build upon their talent.
Another large initiative that has been undertaken by the Marketing Office is the revamping of
the Societys visual identity. The Marketing Officer has been working hard on a modern and
clean rebrand for the society. This includes the revitalization of the current font styles, logos
and ASUS website. The Marketing Office and the IT Director are updating and revising the
current Society site. We hope in improving the design and layout, we will be able to create a
simple and enjoyable user experience for students.
For more information, please contact Rona Lao at marketing@asus.queensu.ca.

10

Council Projects
Services
The Services Commission has been very productive. Each of the commissions have been
active in communicating and building healthy relationships with partners.
ASUS Trips has been collaborating with ME to WE for a new volunteer service trip abroad for
students. This holds a great potential benefit for the services commission as this would help
improve ASUS Trips' profits and visibility.
Jackets planning is going smoothly and has many promotional ideas planned! The Jackets
team is confident that once August arrives, the incoming students will be engaged and fully
aware of the tradition and history behind the classic Queen's Jacket. This year, the goal is to
hold three opportunities for jacket sales: an early-bird Orientation Week Sale, along with the
Fall and Winter Sales.
Poster Sale dates and locations have been secured and the Services Commissioner is
maintaining close communication with Imaginus. We are excited to continue having this
service at Queens!
Finally, the planning of Move-In Day is well underway. Companies such as Staples and
Canadian Tire have been contacted to renew their involvement. Throughout the years, these
two companies have greatly contributed to Queen's and the Services Commission looks
forward to their participation.
For more information, please contact Julie Tran at services@asus.queensu.ca.

11

ASUS Camps
The ASUS Camp Directors Chris Radford and Kate McNally, along with Program
Coordinators Arden Streib and Susana Martinez, have been hard at work in the
offices preparing for camp. The first two months have been very productive, with
a strong focus on marketing and educative camp programs.
We could not be more excited for the beginning of our camp season that started
on July 4th! Alongside the incredible team of Program Coordinators and Camp
Counsellors, the entire ASUS Camps staff have been spending many hours
training, decorating, and preparing for the continued tradition of an educational,
inclusive and enjoyable ASUS Camps experience! We cannot wait to meet our
campers, old and new!
Preparing for camp is always like your various types of peanut butter smooth
and bumpy! Yet, with the amazing support of the entire camp team, we cannot
wait to create what is hoping to be an unforgettable camp season! And dont
worry ASUS camps is nut-free!

12

Orientation Week
With September right around the corner, planning for ASUS Orientation Week has
kicked into high gear. Over the past two months, Head Gael Becky Wieschowski
has been working on a variety of tasks to ensure that the incoming Class of 2020
gets a warm welcome to Queens University. In terms of events, the final details
are being confirmed as the Faculty of Arts and Science have finished approving all
Orientation events. In addition to finalizing the weeks events, the Head Gael has
been developing relationships with local businesses and Queens clubs to secure
their involvement in Orientation Week. In doing so, Orientation can maximize the
resources available for incoming students. The Head Gael has also begun planning
training sessions for Orientation Leaders (Gaels) so that they are well equipped to
make Orientation Week fun and effective for all!
Finally, and most excitingly, registration for ASUS Orientation Week is officially
open! ASUS Orientation Week runs from September 7th until September 10th. If
you are an incoming Arts and Science student at Queen's and want to participate
in the most fun week of the school year, sign-up for ASUS Orientation Week here.
Get ready to make some new friends, create incredible memories, and embark on
a chance to start your Queen's experience off on the right foot.

13

Get Involved

Contact Us

Are you a new or returning student looking for a unique and

exciting way to get involved next year? Apply to be a part of
ASUS! In September, applications for chair and committee
member will be available online on the ASUS jobs page at
jobs.lever.co/asus. Looking to get involved but dont know
where to start? Come out to the ASUS booth at Queens in
the Park on September 7th and Sidewalk Sale on September
9th! If you have any questions about positions within ASUS or
the application process, contact Samantha Figenshaw the
ASUS Human Resources Officer, at hro@asus.queensu.ca.

Looking to get in touch

with someone in ASUS
over the summer?
Click here to find out
more.

Closing Thoughts
Since we started in May, the Society has been quite busy, with
new and exciting projects being developed each day and old
ones being fine-tuned and advanced. As we move into July
and August, we are very excited to see what the rest of the
summer has in store for ASUS, we look forward to watching
Orientation begin to take shape for September and for
Camps to continue to thrive.
We are confident that the remainder of the summer will be
just as exciting and productive as the past two months, and
we look forward to sharing more updates in September. If
you have any questions about our summer projects, feel free
to contact Darrean or Brian. We look forward to seeing you all
back on campus in September!
Sincerely,

Darrean Baga

Brian MacKay

14