Academic leniency provided in light of tragedy

The AMS executive has asked for academic leniency for students.

Following the death of first-year student Kyle Kinsella on Tuesday, AMS President Safiah Chowdhury, Vice-President (Operations) Ben Hartley and Vice-President (University Affairs) met with senior University officials including Principal Daniel Woolf. Kinsella’s death followed the death of third-year student Andrew Lloyd last Wednesday.

Hartley, ArtSci ’10, said not all students are comfortable asking for help when they feel stressed.

“It’s really hard for students to ask for extensions. They need to know that support mechanism is there,” he said, adding that because of the strain on Health, Counseling and Disability Services, students could find it hard to get the documentation normally required for an extension.

Chowdhury, ArtSci ’11, said students should focus on self-care.

“A lot of people are affected by the deaths on campus and we’re entering one of the most stressful times in university [exam period] … it’s fundamentally important people be taking care of themselves,” she said.

Following the meeting on Tuesday night, a message was sent to all the deans informing them that there is a need to be flexible, she said.

“My impression is that [faculty knows] if student don’t have work in on time, don’t penalize them.”

— Clare Clancy

New associate vice-principal appointed

Effective July 1, 2011, Ann Tierney will be the new associate vice- principal and dean of student affairs at Queen’s.

Currently, she holds the position of vice-provost (students) at the University of Calgary. “It’s actually similar to the position at Queen’s,” Tierney, LLB ’89 and MPA ’04, said. “I’d say the only major difference is that in Calgary, I also have the registrar’s office portfolio that’s part of my office, but at Queen’s, the registrar’s office is separate.”

As associate vice-principal and dean of student affairs, Tierney said she’ll work with groups including the AMS and student clubs to help promote the services Queen’s uses to engage students.

“I want to work with the student leaders as well as the faculty and administration to define the priorities in the portfolio. John Pierce [current associate vice-principal and dean of student affairs] has been great in the time he’s been there and I’m looking forward to working with him in the next months,” she said.

As of Aug. 1, 2010, Pierce has held the position in an interim capacity since he replaced Patrick Deane who left to become president of McMaster University.

Tierney was assistant dean of the Queen’s Faculty of Law between 1999 and 2004. She was also an adjunct sessional instructor and director of the Faculty of Law’s Career Services Office.

Tierney said although it will be difficult to leave Calgary, she’s happy to take the opportunity afforded her by Queen’s.

“I work with great people and have met wonderful people [in Calgary],” she said. “I’m very excited about coming back to Queen’s. I’m a Queen’s grad. We have family in Kingston and lived there for a number of years, not only as a student, but afterwards as well. Two of my children were born in Kingston, so we have fond memories and a strong association.”

— Savoula Stylianou