Equity Commission
The Equity Commission strives to engage the Queen’s community with topics of social justice including but not limited to gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability, sustainability, and mental health. Through its seven unique committees, the Equity Commission uses creative events, outreach campaigns, and resources to provide support and advocate for individuals who identify with marginalized communities. The commission also seeks to create space for all students within the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society while offering numerous opportunities for student involvement.
Committee Descriptions
Elephant in the Room
Elephant in the Room strives to create an inclusive and welcoming space for students to engage in discourses surrounding mental health in order to eliminate stigma. Through partnership with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, the committee organizes monthly events and initiatives which encourage students to speak on and support their mental wellbeing. These events and initiatives include but are not limited to opportunities for creative expression, care packages, panel discussions, social experiments and documentary screenings.
Queer Solidarity Alliance
Queer Solidarity Alliance (QSA) organizes events that focus on educating the student body and community about queer issues, gender identity/diversity and sexual/romantic orientation. The committee aims to advocate for and create space for LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC communities at Queen’s, through interactive events, panel discussions, training sessions, and creative workshops.
Queen’s Equity Conference
The Queen’s Equity Conference is a one-day conference that strives to educate members of the Queen’s and Kingston communities on issues of social justice, while fostering the skills necessary to create a safer and more accountable social climate. Delegates engage with various keynote speakers, workshops, and interactive activities to cultivate values such as tolerance, respect and allyship. The Queen’s Equity Conference seeks to create a welcoming space in which delegates can network, discuss, and listen to various perspectives in order to broaden their understanding of social justice.
The Worth Project
The Worth Project strives to raise awareness and educate the student body on issues of body image, sexual violence, disordered eating, and identity. The committee uses photography campaigns, panel discussions, and creative events to foster an inclusive and welcoming space in which all students feel comfortable expressing who they are and who they aspire to be. The committee also aims to educate the Queen’s community on sexual violence prevention, while dismantling myths surrounding sexual assault and violence.
Research & Recommendation
The Research and Recommendation Committee provides students with opportunities to engage in research on equity-related issues that impact the student body. The team conducts research on problems faced by students on campus/ in the Kingston community through surveys and focus groups. The committee uses this data to draft policy and identify the ways in which the Society can better advocate for and support all students, especially those of marginalized identities.
Down There
Down There is a yearly theatrical production in which students from various marginalized identities present their personal stories creatively, through mediums such as dance, spoken word, song, and monologue. Topics explored within the show include sexual orientation, body image, mental health, and race.
Sustainable Universe Network
The Sustainable Universe Network committee organizes events and initiatives that promote environmental sustainability and respect for the environment. The committee encourages students to engage in discourses surrounding climate change, power structures, sustainability, and environmental racism, as well as the ways these concepts intersect with one’s positionality. SUN also provides opportunities for students to participate in environmental activism within the Queen’s/Kingston communities in order to cultivate their passion for environmental change.