On Monday, the AMS held its annual incoming assembly, providing the new executive—Team AJW—with a chance to present their priorities to the body.

Assembly began with the election of Calum Maule as AMS Speaker. The speaker chairs AMS Assembly and is responsible for mediating members’ discussion and debate.

Maule’s candidacy was supported by an “overwhelming majority” of Assembly members, according to Secretary Bronwyn Woolhouse.

Team AJW’s Report

Auston Pierce, incoming AMS president, opened his team’s report to Assembly with a pledge to improve student engagement.

“Will, Jess, and myself started this because we saw a lack of engagement, whether it being AMS or faculty elections,” he said. “We’re all here to provide a voice for the students, as well as listen to the students.”

 “We really have to collaborate efficiently with one another, starting in the summer. We envision this year as a reinvigoration and a renaissance,” he said.

Pierce said he hopes to return to Queen’s in 15 years and still be able to link arms and do the Oil Thigh dance with his peers.

Jessica Dahanayake, incoming vice-president (Operations), told Assembly she plans to assess AMS services’ financial and social impacts in an effort to boost sustainability.

Dahanayake also wants to simplify the event sanctioning process for faculty societies and clubs. “The input we’ve been given is that it’s a difficult process and can be complicated at times,” she said.

William Greene, incoming vice-president (University Affairs), stated his three goals for his term overseeing the governance side of the Society.

Greene said he’ll work with the Queen’s Clubs office to increase the Society’s engagement with clubs. He also hopes to “ensure marginalized groups are given the same resources and opportunities as others on campus.”

His second goal is to work closely with Dahanayake to create sustainability initiatives within the Society’s services.

Greene also stressed that, following the Student Choice Initiative, resources will be limited during the next academic year. As a result, his third goal is to improve awareness of the resources the AMS and the University will still offer.

“Whether [it] be consolidating or centralizing all resources in the community, the University and the AMS can do a great job at making these services available and letting students know what resources they have,” he said.

Additionally, plans are being made to break up the AMS mandatory fee into smaller ones, according to Dahanayake. The team will also be updating their platform to reflect cuts made following the Student Choice Initiative, to be released later this summer.

“There is a lot of uncertainties, but we are just going to have to keep going,” Pierce told The Journal following Assembly.

He added he’ll continue to update Assembly as the platform develops.

Speaker, judicial affairs staff elected

The incoming AMS elected Trevor Gooden, Hannah Ross, and Camilo Sebastian-Lozano to the positions of Judicial Committee Members for the 2019-20 year.

Assembly also elected Rosalyn Martin, Brin Elliot, Charlotte Winterton, and Jeremy Jingwei to be Judicial Affairs deputies for the 2019-20 year.

The position of elections deputy was tabled until September.