An open letter to frosh
Dear Editors,
Someone once told me, “if all you get from Queen’s is a diploma then you will have wasted your time here.” When I first heard that statement, I thought it sounded extreme, but during my time at this university I have learned how accurate that declaration truly is. Queen’s is teeming with great courses and outstanding professors. However, it was by immersing myself in the vast array of extra-curricular opportunities available here that has challenged me to dig deeper, learn more about who I am, and create the memories I will cherish for a lifetime.
I am the president of the AMS, your undergraduate student government at Queen’s and the governing body charged with ensuring you get the most out of your four years in Kingston. Involvement in the broader learning environment outside the classroom is the hallmark of any balanced student regardless of what faculty you belong to. If you arrive here in September with the desire to maximize your Queen’s experience, then I can assure you that your full potential will be unleashed by this extraordinary institution of higher learning. Make no mistake, Queen’s is an incredible university with a very rich and hallowed heritage. When you arrive here in September, you will notice immediately the traditions that have been deeply woven into the fabric of this school. I am incapable of articulating in this short [letter] the magnitude and sanctity of the legacy you are about to inherit.
While Queen’s was growing and evolving, the AMS was growing and evolving alongside it. The AMS is now the oldest and most autonomous student government in the country. It is an $8.7 million student government with over 500 paid positions and 1000 volunteer opportunities. It even isters the non-academic discipline system at Queen’s. The concept of peer-istered justice is an aspect of Queen’s and the AMS that is unique from all other schools in North America and is one more example of Queen’s fulfilling its mission to produce exceptional students and scholars for citizenship and leadership in a global society.
Queen’s does take the best students and make them better. However, it is incumbent upon each and every one of you to approach the next four years with curiosity, intensity and the knowledge that you have as much stake in the Queen’s community as anyone else. You belong on this campus and will find your niche if you have the courage to push yourself outside your comfort zone and pursue, without abandon, the life you want to lead.
Ethan Rabidoux
AMS President
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