Team WCW would change the AMS from ‘burger flipper’ to ‘charming server’
Jason Dunkel, Comm ’08
I vividly a conversation I once had: it was with my don in first year and the topic of the AMS came up. Before delving into the subject I saying “Oh man, the AMS has a really cool website…but I really don’t know what they do.”
Now in my fourth year of Commerce, I’m not ashamed to it it (even though I know a few people who work for the AMS): I still don’t really know what the AMS does.
I, like many other students, saw the AMS campaign material each January and voted for who I thought were the best candidates based on that material. But, like many students, in my head I really didn’t care who won the election. To me, the AMS would always be like the people working in the back at McDonalds—you know they’re there, but you have to work there to know if they’re doing their jobs properly.
This isn’t the way it should be. The AMS should be less like a burger flipper at McDonalds and more like a charming server at Chez Piggy’s. This change from burger flipper to charming server is exactly what WCW is proposing. They will make the AMS the ones that say “hi” to students rather than those who wait behind a desk. They will make the AMS more active among students and will listen to and advocate on behalf of students for the issues students care about most. But most importantly, they will answer the question “What does the AMS do?” for you by doing what you want and what you have been asking for, for years.
Structurally, the school is changing, and the AMS shouldn’t remain stagnant. There could be no better year to elect a team that stands for change, and I sincerely believe no one could bring that change better than Williams-Cameron-Williams.
Team RWS the only one that will ‘move beyond empty words and empty promises’
Anna Thomas, ArtSci ’10
So many words float around Queen’s—words that are detached from the actions their meanings imply. “Diversity” and “different lifestyles” are thrown around without understanding the negative connotations of these words. “Community” and “change” are used without plans of action to make promises a reality.
When the campaign season started, I knew none of the candidates personally. But after researching, I realized only one team advocates the most important issues facing students today. Instead of using gimmicks to deflect from vague, unsustainable and insensitive platforms, RWS addresses real social issues that have too long been overlooked on campus. By making anti-oppression an integral part of the AMS through hiring processes, the student body will signal to the istration and fellow students that racism, homophobia and all other forms of oppression are unacceptable here at Queen’s.
Rather than proposing energy-wasting, unhealthy and expensive initiatives such as 24-hour gym or library access, RWS is committed to reducing negative environmental impacts by standardizing recycling and making the Earth Centre more accessible and prominent in campus life.
RWS has the most extensive platform, not only socially but academically as well.
Initiatives such as the syllabus bank, cross-disciplinary credit database and advocacy for new departments enable us to make informed educational decisions and expose ourselves to different ideas.
RWS offers the most comprehensive, feasible and socially responsible platform on the ballot. RWS will enact proactive anti-oppression initiatives more effectively than WCW. The team also provides a counter-balance to the corporate, service-based alternative presented by ACH. So let’s move beyond empty words and empty promises with a new AMS that will actually meet student needs. I believe RWS is the only team that can do this. But don’t just take my word for it: check out voterws.ca to see for yourself.
Team ACH will stand up for student needs and keep the istration able
Osie Ukwuoma, Comm ’09
Team ACH is the only team that has presented a clear and consistent plan that not only looks after the short-term wellbeing of the school, but also looks beyond to ensure a bright future for Queen’s.
As an athlete and a third-year commerce student, my time is in very short supply. If I’m not working, I’m practising. Team ACH’s plan to keep the gym open 24 hours a day will help make sure every single person can work out when they want to. I know some people have brought up the fact that exercising for 24 hours isn’t healthy, and these people have missed the point entirely. What ACH is talking about is choice: the choice to study and exercise when I’m available. My lifestyle is my choice and my right. It’s about receiving the value of our student fees for the services we have paid for. Team ACH’s stand against locally set, privatized and de-regulated tuition ensures that a Queen’s education won’t be something to which only a small group of people can aspire. Student fees and tuition have climbed higher, yet university services and buildings have been taken down. The Queen’s Centre project is over budget and behind schedule. Students are getting the short end of the deal, and we signed an agreement that assured our current level of service. We hold one powerful chip. Every year, the AMS pays $1 million in student fees to the istration. I believe that, if the University continues to cut services without replacing them, the AMS should withhold the money. Team ACH believes in keeping the istration able, keeping the AMS able and ensuring that we are spending student dollars responsibly.
Vote for team ACH to get it done—not for just for Queen’s, but for you.
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