On Oct. 16, many of us took the time to don our tricolour attire, share our favourite Queen’s memories, and share our school pride on social media. I myself attended meetings with my Queen’s toque, shirt, jacket, and scarf (a bit overkill, but I love this school)! From the moment I stepped foot on this campus in 2015, I was proud to be a part of this community. Over the years, I have seen different priorities emerge at this school, each accompanied by a new burst of enthusiasm. As we all know, right now one of our biggest priorities is EDI work. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are three values that each person should hold dear. Without these values, we make others feel unwelcome, unvalued, or invalidated.

Fully embracing EDI can be hard. So very hard. It is easy to forget that everyone is diverse in their own way, and it is not always visible. It’s not enough to promote EDI by only showing up for those who are visibly diverse, like those who are BIPOC or have physical disabilities. We must strive to look beyond these more obvious differences and acknowledge marginalized groups who need support that you may not be able to see.

Recent stories published in the Queen’s Journal and Instagram accounts such as StolenBySmith have outlined several cases of homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination against those who struggle with their mental health. I too have been a victim of homophobia, and the stories shared on Instagram showed me that I am not alone in what I have faced. Unfortunately, since Queen’s has started its prioritizing of EDI, there has been little to no mention of homophobia, transphobia, or ableism. The Report on the Principal’s Conversation had pages of discussion on EDI, but these issues were not mentioned. To students who have been victims of any of these, it must feel like their struggle is ignored.

True EDI means that no one is left behind. Everyone’s struggle is heard, validated, and a solution is searched for. Start with changes that are easy to make: ensure documents are accessible to those who may have vision impairments, include closed captioning on videos, or ensure that anyone who enters your workspace knows that it is an inclusive one. Fully embracing EDI is not a quick or easy process; it is a long, hard, and uncomfortable one. I look forward to Oct. 16, 2021, when I will once again don my tricolour and have pride in my workplace as it strives to be the most equitable, diverse, and inclusive place it can be.


Hot off the press: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement

The CASE book store just released Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement and we have three copies. If you would like to borrow a copy to read, contact Kate Bearse. About the book: Diversity, equity, and inclusion have never been more imperative. Advancement leaders know they need to engage and reach more diverse constituents and hire and lead more diverse teams. This book offers explanations, data, and clear steps that advancement professionals can take now to make a positive difference in their institutions.


It's Thrive Week

In its sixth year, Thrive Week is here! Thrive strives to increase education and communication on the topic of positive mental health and what it means to the Queen’s community. The pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on the campus community, on how we conduct business, on how we live our lives, and on our collective mental health. We have been working hard to support ways for employees to thrive in these difficult times. Go to the Thrive Link to sign up for some of the events this week or organize your own team event. Examples could include: encouraging an outdoor walking meeting, a departmental step challenge, or facilitating mindful breaks within your team. Please let thrive@queensu.ca know so they can track involvement and impact. An event I am particularly excited about this year is keynote speaker Dane Jensen. Dane will be speaking about staying motivated during incredibly challenging times.


Reminder: nominate a Queen’s colleague for the Flynn Award – nominations due Nov. 20

Here is your friendly reminder that nominations are now being accepted for The T. Geoffrey Flynn Advancement Champions Award. This award is presented annually to honour an individual member of the Queen’s community who has made a significant contribution to linking Queen’s University’s advancement activities with research and teaching excellence at Queen’s.  Such a contribution might be related to: outstanding effort, organization, and results as an Advancement "champion;" playing a strong leadership role in integrating the role of advancement within a faculty, school, department, unit, or volunteer organization; becoming involved in advancement work in addition to their duties; performing regular duties that assist the advancement function in a superlative way.  All members of the Queen’s community are eligible, including faculty and staff, with the exception of individuals who are part of the Office of Advancement. Nominations will be accepted until Monday, Nov. 22, 2020. For more information please contact Kate Bearse.


Reminder! Nominate a Colleague for a Heney Award – Nominations due Nov. 20 

We wanted to remind you that it’s that time of year to nominate an Advancement colleague for the John J. Heney Award.

The Heney Award is presented in honour of John J. Heney, former Director of Development and recipient of the Queen’s Distinguished Service Award, and it is presented annually to the Advancement employee who best exemplifies the characteristics of commitment to the Advancement profession, superb performance, and devotion to the organization. Visit the Office of Advancement website to view past award recipients. Any staff member in the Office of Advancement may submit a nomination.

The John J. Heney Award Selection Committee, composed of current Advancement employees who have won the Heney, made revisions to the John J. Heney Award Fund Terms (established 2001.) These changes are in keeping with the original intent of the award and include:

Who can be nominated:

  • All staff members of the Office of Advancement, including continuing and term employees are eligible to be nominated.
  • In keeping with the original intent and spirit of the Fund, the award is to recognize one individual and not a unit, group or team.
  • Previous award winners may be nominated and receive the award more than once, at the discretion of The John J. Heney Award Selection Committee.
  • If the individual in a previous year was not selected, they can be re-nominated.

Award criteria:

Nominations are based on the employee’s previous 12 to 18 month work period and demonstrate concrete examples to support the application criteria.

The nominator must address the rationale for the nomination based on any of the following criteria: 

  • Commitment to the advancement profession, professionalism, and compassion  
  • Superb performance in achieving the strategic objectives of the Office of Advancement that embodies the Advancement mission and any of the university’s 12 competencies
  • Devotion to the organization and/or the broader university

The nominator must include how the employee has demonstrated initiative above and beyond the regular call of duty in their work.

There is a new online nomination formAll nominations must be submitted no later than 4:00 pm on Friday, November 20, 2020. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please take some time to nominate today – if you have any questions, please contact Carla Ferreira Rodrigues.


Employee spotlight

The Employee Spotlight celebrates the arrival of our new staff by profiling responses they share through a fun and informal survey that will help us get to know them better. Be sure to review these profiles and use these fun facts and tidbits to find commonalities, embrace differences, and spark a conversation.

This week we welcome (back) Chantal Valkenborg to Advancement, in the position of Events, Marketing and Communications Officer within the Department of Advancement Communications, Marketing, Events and Donor Relations. Click here to learn more about Chantal, the origins of her name associated with a castle, and what she’s most looking forward to in her role.


Jobs with Advancement

We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and resume) must be submitted through CareerQ. For additional information on this posting, please reach out to either Katelyn, Carla, or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.

Available Position:

POSITION UNIT AND DEPARTMENT CLOSING DATE GRADE
Senior Development Officer, Arts Development November 8, 2020 10
Executive Director, Alumni Strategy Alumni Relations and Annual Giving November 17, 2020 12

Fun fact

Tricolour yearbook 

The Tricolour was founded in 1928, taking the place of faculty yearbooks that had been produced annually since around the turn of the century. The Tricolour is published every October and is available to all students who attended Queen's the previous academic year. It contains hundreds of pictures of the year in review and brief descriptions of the year's main academic, social, and sporting events. It also contains photographs of all graduating students. The yearbook is produced entirely by students and is funded by the Alma Mater Society. 

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