The resignation of Campus Activities Commissioner Louis Plamondon on Feb. 9 followed a series of circumstances that did not bode well for Plamondon. He had taken a leave of absence to run Team MBT’s campaign. Upon his return, he met with AMS VP (University Affairs) Shiva Mayer and AMS Information Officer Greg McKellar. During this meeting, Plamondon was given the option to either resign or take a one-month suspension. While the reasons for such actions are not completely clear, the unfinished and over-budget ice rink to be built on Leonard Field and the Campus Activities Commission’s (CAC) financial woes seem to be contributing factors.
Plamondon’s resignation has called into question the need for the ice rink in the first place. With free ice time available at Jock Harty Arena, in addition to the open ice rinks at Victoria Park, City Park and the Market Square, it hardly seems like another rink needed to be constructed. While it may be convenient for first-years and those living on campus, traveling the short distance to the other rinks throughout the city would help dispel the idea of the Queen’s bubble and would be an opportunity for students to better integrate themselves into the community.
More than anything, the financial loss created by the Leonard Field ice rink points to a lack of communication between of the AMS. Plamondon should not have signed a contract with students he hired to build the rink without consulting the executive. At the same time, the executive should have better monitored Plamondon’s actions—the CAC’s current $22,000 deficit did not incur spontaneously or without warning.
That said, Plamondon was able to elevate the profile of the CAC and he did establish several campus-wide activities and events—but not without a price.
In an interview with the Journal just after his resignation, Plamondon said “It was a question of choice: do I keep up with CAC as my number-one thing, or do I go all out with this election? I could only choose one, and I chose the campaign. … Quite frankly, I want to enjoy my last two months [before graduating] as a normal Queen’s student.” When you apply and are successful at securing a position, you agree to fulfilling the mandate of that position, regardless of whether or not your priorities change. As it stands, the CAC has been forced to scramble to pick up after Plamondon. He has demonstrated a complete disregard for AMS policy and for the system itself. Rather than reg, Plamondon should have taken the one-month suspension that was offered by the AMS as an alternative to reg. This would have allowed him to return to the CAC and complete the work he started.
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