Why get involved?Getting involved in the AMS in your first year is a great introduction to all that life outside the classroom has to offer here at Queen’s. You will meet new people, develop valuable skills, and open doors for future involvement. Through working or volunteering with the AMS you will be able to gain a wide range of skills in virtually any area you might be interested in. Working or volunteering for the AMS is a great way to make friends outside of Orientation Week, residence, and class. Will I have the time?Everyone managers their time differently, so taking-on a part-time job or a volunteer committment may be great for some, and harder to juggle for others. Although adjusting to a new school can be a challenge, it is often good to learn how to balance studying with other activities. All service managers and committee chairs are students themselves, so they understand the potential stresses of university life. For many opportunities such as being an intern or volunteering, you can expect the time commitment to be less than 5 hours a week. Working part-time at a service would be a time commitment of 5-10 hours per week, but there are opportunities at every service to trade shifts if you’re having a busy week, or pick up some extra shifts if you want to work more hours. What can I do?There are four ways that you can get involved with the AMS in your first year at Queen’s: work for a service, volunteer on a committee or at a media service, intern in the AMS commissions and offices, and join a club. Applications for all volunteer, part-time, and intern opportunities will be available here and at the AMS front desk, located in the lower John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC). This will give you plenty of time before applications are due on September 30th at 4 p.m. Applications are to be handed-in at the AMS front desk. Work part-time:The Alma Mater Society runs seven services and an IT Office that employ students on a part-time basis. Working at one of these services will allow you to develop practical skills and gain new experiences while providing a valued service to the Queen’s community. In addition to the knowledge that you will gain from working at an AMS service, you will also connect with fellow staff members and forge friendships with other amazing students from outside your residence, year, faculty, or program. The peer-to-peer work environment is also a benefit of working for the AMS; all managers are students themselves, and can therefore empathize with the possible stresses that come with being a student. While maintaining the professionalism and quality service that the Queen’s community has come to expect, AMS service managers also recognize your personal needs as a student.
For more information about the services and how to apply, check out the part-time page in the Get Involved section of this site. If you have questions about the service, please direct them to the head manager, whose e-mail is listed in the part-time section. You can also visit the services’ own pages to learn more about what they do (click on the services names above to be linked to their pages). Applications for these part-time positions will be available at least two weeks prior to the deadline. You can get one online or by stopping by the AMS front desk, which is located in the lower John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC). Applications are due March 19th, by 4 p.m. at the AMS front desk. Volunteer:You can volunteer in one of the government branches of the AMS (called commissions), the AMS Sustainability Office, or at one of the four AMS media services. Each commission, office, and media service offers different opportunities for you to apply your skills and talents, learn some new things, and meet some great people. Here is some information about the five commissions, Sustainability Office, and four media services where you can volunteer: Academic Affairs Commission:This commission does a lot of external advocacy as well as runs awareness and educational campaigns for Queen’s students. The Teaching Awards Committee is one way that the AAC promotes quality teaching while rewarding some amazing professors and TAs. They also run a financial aid awareness week, which aims to educate students on various resources available to them. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Susannah Gouinlock at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Campus Activities Commission:The CAC runs three main branches: Arts, Politics, and Sports. The Arts Committees put on amazing events such as Best Darn Singer on Campus, Charity Ball (the only all-year, all-faculty formal event), and Exposure Arts Festival. The Politics Committees in the CAC run a model UN and a model Parliament. The Sports committees put on some really fun and active events such as Catch Me If You Can and Snow Pitch. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Lindsay Brent at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Commission of Internal Affairs:The CIA facilitates the 200+ Queen’s clubs, runs elections, and administers the Non-Academic Discipline system (the only student-run one of its kind in North America). The CIA needs dedicated volunteers for all of these programs. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Lucas Anderson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Municipal Affairs Commission:The MAC runs a Student Property Assessment Team, and other committees such as Kaleidoscope that do a lot of community outreach. If you’re interested in making a difference in the Kingston community, the MAC is the place to be. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Libby Shaker at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Social Issues Commission:The SIC produces some amazing publications such as the Queen’s Feminist Review, CultureSHOCK!, and Outwrite. The SIC is also involved with advocacy and awareness of many social justice issues such as accessibility, racial and ethnic discrimination, and education on queer issues. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Samantha Boyce at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Sustainability Office:The Sustainability Office provides information and solutions to students who are looking to reduce their environmental impact. For example, the Greenovations committee is looking for volunteers to go into student homes to do sustainable retrofits such as installing energy efficient light bulbs that will decrease energy consumption (which means cheaper energy bills!). To learn more about these opportunities, contact Claire Nelischer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Queen’s TV:QTV, now in its 21st season, produces great segments that appear on the local cable channel as well as on their website each week. If you’re interested in hosting, producing, or editing, QTV is a great place to get some experience! To learn more about these opportunities, contact Tomas Saun at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The Queen’s Journal:The oldest student-run newspaper in North America needs writers, photographers, and other volunteers to put together this amazing publication. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Jane Switzer and Mike Woods at
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. CFRC:Canada’s oldest radio station wants some new volunteers to help with production, or to host a show. Work along-side community members at this station that serves both the Queen’s and Kingston community. To learn more about these opportunities, contact Chris Trimmer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For more information about volunteering at the AMS, including details on how to apply, check out the volunteer page in the Get Involved section of the site. You can also visit the pages of the commissions, Sustainability Office, or media service to learn more about what they do (click on the titles above to be linked to their site). Intern in an AMS office:The goal of the AMS intern program is to introduce first year students to the AMS to allow them to get involved and learn more about how student government functions. Don’t worry if you feel you don’t know enough about each position, that’s what the program is for. Apply regardless of experience and get first-hand knowledge of what the AMS is all about. And no, as an intern you will not be running around getting coffee!
To find out more information on these positions, contact the person directly or send any questions to Laura Wilson, the Human Resources Officer at
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. Join a club:The AMS is home to approximately 200 student clubs and offers opportunities for anyone to start a club of their choice. These student-run organizations are active in the areas of community involvement, publications, athletics and recreation, as well as the arts. |
