There are two sides to working through a global pandemic.

Virtual tours of home offices and home renovations, and personal interactions with family members of colleagues. Experimenting with new technologies and different techniques to practice our craft. Proving to ourselves that we are stronger than we ever thought possible.

These are some of the positive outcomes of an entire nation transitioning to working from home that we could never have imagined mere weeks ago. But we also have to admit that it is not all easy or positive.

Our home ‘offices’ are furnished with kitchen tables and chairs not meant to be sat in for an eight-hour day, and there are family members who do inconvenient things when we are on video calls!

Learning new technologies is an overwhelming task with everything that is going on, and some of us are lonely in our home offices.

Being strong for an undetermined period of time is hard.

Please know that every member of the ALT sees both sides of this situation and is committed to working through them with you. If you are frustrated or overwhelmed, chances are that someone else on the team is, too. While we are in uncharted territory, we will move forward. And I do believe there is the potential for some extraordinary opportunities for Queen’s Advancement to come out of this situation. But to get through this abrupt transition first, please consider the following:

  • Welcome your family and your family pets into the video meetings.
  • Share your stories of ill-advised approaches and colossal failures with the broader team. We will all laugh together, and not at you.
  • Trust that it is perfectly acceptable to show your vulnerability to others so that everyone can get whatever support they need.

We will move forward, together. And as we do, know that you can lean on the ALT. And you can lean on one another.


Queen’s Joins #CourageforCanada

The campus community — including some familiar faces — joined people from across Canada in a virtual sing-along to The Tragically Hip’s Courage last week. The social media challenge, using #CourageforCanada, is seeing people share videos of themselves singing the popular tune in an effort to share messages of hope amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The Weather Network has compiled some of the videos on its website. Can you spot an Advancement member and other Queen’s grads?


Update on Advancement Enhancement Day

The Advancing IDEAS and Advancement Enhancement Day group wanted to provide an update on Advancement Enhancement Day as it is going to look different this year.

While it is unlikely Advancement Enhancement Day can be structured the same as in recent years, we are more committed to staff engagement and professional development than ever because of the unusual times we find ourselves in. So, Advancement Enhancement Day will still happen!

We look forward to a fun day, all be it different than we may have had planned. We are going to get creative and see what we can come up with.


Homecoming 2020

You may be wondering about the status of Homecoming 2020 in light of COVID-19.

At this point in time, we are moving forward with the intention to celebrate Homecoming 2020 as planned. While we are all hoping for the best outcome and have our fingers and toes crossed that this remains possible, we are also realistic that this may not occur.

A final decision will be made before registration begins in June. In the meantime, we’ve decided to take a two-pronged approach as we move forward. We will continue with our original plans while at the same time creating a working group to help re-imagine Homecoming should an in-person celebration not be possible.

This is the time to be creative and think out of the box! We’d love your help. If you’d like to be involved, please reach out to Leigh.


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 vacancy below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and résumé) 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
Director, Strategic Content and Publications Communications, Marketing, Events and Donor Relations April 22,  2020 11

Fun Fact

Fraternities and Sororities

Fraternities and sororities have been banned at Queen's since a ruling by the Alma Mater Society (AMS) in 1933. The ruling was a response to the formation of two fraternities in the 1920s, one for Arts and Science students and a second, more active one, for Medical students.

A majority of Queen's students, who prided themselves on egalitarianism and united community spirit, disapproved of these organizations because of their external affiliations and the exclusivity that they fostered.

A coalition of anti-fraternity forces, led by the Levana Society and arts and theology students, swept the AMS elections of 1933 and sponsored an open meeting of about 1000 students in Grant Hall, during which students voted to ban all fraternities and sororities.

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