The Academics Commission had an innovative year that amounted to positive change and significant growth. These changes were rooted in a decision to restructure the commission, giving direct oversight of several committees to the deputy commissioners, while re-emphasizing the commissioners role as an academic advocate. This resulted in the commission, as a collective, operating with a strong focus and united vision. Below is a brief overview of the notable changes and accomplishments that ensued. It is essential to note that while the commissioner is often given credit for the successes within the commission, it is the committee members and chairs that deserve the true recognition. Without their work ethic, creativity, and resilience, nothing would be possiblethe following achievements are a testament to them. COMMISSION RESTRUCTURING Upon taking office, it quickly became apparent that the priorities of the commissioner fell within a five-piece portfolio: ASUS Peer Tutoring, Department Student Councils, Queens Canadian Leadership Conference, Undergraduate Review, and W.J. Barnes Teaching Award. Absent from this list of duties was the role of academic advocacy improving the academic experience of Arts and Science students, both in and out of the classroom. Consequently, a decision was made to restructure the commission. This entailed a shift of committee control from the commissioner to the purview of the deputies. As such, one deputy took control of the Undergraduate Review, while the other assumed responsibility for the W.J. Barnes Teaching Award. Additionally, the deputies played larger role in the functioning of ASUS Peer Tutoring and the Department Student Councils. This resulted in both the commissioner having more time to spend advocating on behalf of students, and the deputies gaining more valuable, professional experiences. ACADEMIC ADVOCACY Upon the decision to shift the commissioners focus to academic advocacy, there was still uncertainty as to what the specifics would look like. In hindsight, it is now clear that this focus lied at the individual, student level. The commissioner became a resource to any student who sought assistance in making an appeal, dropping a course, had an issue with a professor, wanted to challenge a grade, and much more. This had a direct impact on the academic lives of over one hundred students who took advantage of the commissioner as a resource. On the faculty-wide level, the commissioner worked closely with Academic Caucus and the Department Student Councils to identify illegal, tuition-related ancillary fees that students were being chargedthese fees were then delivered to the AMS, who worked with the administration to begin weeding them out. ASUS PEER TUTORING APT hit the ground running this year with the release of a summer tutoring program for high school students. This was a great opportunity to reach out to the community and provide support to high school students who required it. During the year, APT quickly became one of the most popular services that ASUS offered this year, as nearly 1000 students engaged as either a tutor or tutee. This had led to an initiative to develop a fully
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! automated, online software/web tool that will instantly match those who need help in a course with a registered tutor. This web tool will be released as a feature on the new ASUS website this coming fall. In addition to the quantitative success of APT, there was also a shift in funding that providing more bursaries to students who require financial assistance. Lastly, a collaboration with Bounce Back (a program run through the Faculty of Arts & Science to provide mentorship for first year students who earned a 1.6 GPA or lower) meant that students who are at-risk academically are receiving the help they require without financial barriers. DEPARTMENT STUDENT COUNCILS The pinnacle of the commissions work with DSCs this year was the implementation of the first-ever standardized, online DSC elections. The elections were ran successfully across all 28 DSCs, with voter turnout amounting to 25% (in comparison, the ASUS Executive elections had a voter turnout of 29%). Prior to this year, most DSCs were not elected and when they were, it was often by way of showing up to a room and raising your hand to vote. The legitimization of the election period will be essential in legitimizing the role of DSCs moving forward. Additionally, there were several changes made with the intention of shifting the culture of DSCs from event-planning groups to academic advocacy bodies. The positive effects of these changes will be felt next year, as DSCs will continue to play a greater role within their departments. QUEENS CANADIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE QCLC experienced its most successful year to date. Effective marketing, a revitalization of the website, popular pre-conference events, strong leadership and a devoted committee all led to a maximum number of 150 delegates for the first time in the conferences history. With speakers such as Greg Frankson (a spoken word poet and the first black President of the AMS) and Bill Johnson (former CEO of McDonalds Canada), as well as an exciting case challenge by CIBC, delegates left feeling inspired, motivated and passionate. UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW The Undergraduate Review had an extremely progressive year with the launch of a website (www.theundergraduatereview.com) to complement the printed publication. The content published on the website was instrumental in significantly expanding the publications audience and reach. Moreover, it let to the acceptance of non-traditional submissionssuch as music and videosfor the first time ever. This online popularity also contributed to a major increase in likes and traffic on the UR Facebook page. The successes of this year have truly laid the groundwork and set the bar high for future years. W.J. BARNES TEACHING AWARD The W.J. Barnes Teaching Award had a very constructive year, reaching the highest number of nominations in its history. The abundance of nominations allowed the cochairs to realize the incredible styles, approaches and techniques of some of the facultys greatest professors. Ultimately, the award was proudly given to Ellen Goldberg, from the School of Religion.
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! POLITICUS & QSURJ One of the greatest stories within the commissionand ASUS as a wholethis year was the introduction of two academic journals: Politicus and the Queens Science Undergraduate Research Journal. The establishment of undergraduate academic journals speaks directly to the Societys mandate of improving the academic experience of students, both in and out of the classroom. In addition to the release of the journal, Politicus and QSURJ actively engaged with the Arts and Science community through a variety of public lectures and workshops. The accomplishments of both journals in their inaugural year speak to their demand, interest and unlimited potential moving forward. FINAL THOUGHTS In reflection, the Academics Commission was able to thrive in an environment that resulted in concrete change, growth and success. From a shift to advocacy, to standardized, online DSC elections, to a sold-out QCLC, to the development of an automated tutoring service, to the release of a UR website, to the addition of Politicus and QSURJ, each aspect of the commission experienced tangible, affirmative progress. On a personal note, I could not be more proud of each member of the commission. The deputies, chairs and committee members were all instrumental in each and every success that was highlighted in this report. It was mentioned in the opening paragraph but needs to be reiterated: nothing would be possible without their unwavering hard work. Whether you were able to find a tutor for a class, participated on a DSC, attended QCLC, or in some other way engaged with the commission, I hope your experiences were positive and beneficial to your year at Queens. Thanks for reading! Adam Grotsky Academics Commissioner Arts & Science Undergraduate Society Queens University academics@asus.queensu.ca (613) 533-6258
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