1. Resources
  2. Support and Advocacy Resources

Support and Advocacy Resources

The university offers a variety of tailored services, programs, and resources to support and engage individuals from a range of cultures, ethnicities, spiritual affiliations, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations.

Crisis response

In case of emergency:

  • Call 911 for police, fire, or ambulance for help in an emergency.
  • Call 613-533-6111 for Queen's Emergency Report Centre.


Find more Queen's and Kingston Emergency Services

Student Wellness: Get Help Now

Comprehensive list of student resources: including those focused on wellness, safety, security, and building community connections

 

 

Employee and Family Assistance Program: care for yourself and your family members

Supports for leaders: including a manager consultation hotline and toolkit for help with challenging issues

Faculty and staff wellness resources: supporting your own wellness and that of others including

Identifying and responding to students in distress: care referrals and resources

Queen's Campus Map

Looking for gender-neutral and accessible washrooms or Indigenous landmarks on campus? There’s a map for that!

Queen's campus map – covering our Kingston, QUBS, Toronto, and Bader campuses – has features to locate safety and equity-related points of interest, including accessible entrances, single-user washrooms, breastfeeding stations, prayer and reflection spaces, and accessible and indoor routes.

Queen's Campus Map

Advocacy

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is a student-run organization that serves and represents the students at Queen’s within the university and externally. The AMS also provides services and activities aimed at cultivating a sense of social awareness and supporting students with diverse backgrounds, such as the Social Issues Commission, Peer Support Centre, and student clubs dedicated to celebrating religious and cultural identities.

[Students at AMS Sidewalk Sale]

The Ban Righ Centre assists women-identified students of all ages, especially those who are returning to university after a time away to continue formal or informal education. The Centre is located on campus and is a hub of campus life for mature women students and mothers from diverse backgrounds, through which they can become part of a community of peers. 

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) help create an inclusive workplace by giving equity-deserving groups a formal structure within an organization to support their unique needs. They contribute to community building within organizations and provide an avenue for all employees to learn more about diverse groups. ERGs include

Other employee communities and resources:

Faith and Spiritual Life offers multi-faith, non-judgmental support for religious, spiritual, personal, and financial problems, concerns or crises. As part of Student Affairs, Faith and Spiritual Life strives to facilitate a welcoming, peaceful, and safe space. Chaplains can also provide support, ceremonial services, interfaith community development and spiritual support to students, faculty, and staff.

We are faith-positive, spirituality-positive, and queer-positive. We respect and advocate for both freedom of, and freedom from, religion. 

Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre (4D) is the home away from home for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students on campus, providing study spaces, laundry, a cozy living room, and a pantry/full access kitchen. Our team facilitates cultural activities such as drumming, beading, feasts and ceremony, as well as social, academic and wellbeing programming.

The Human Rights and Equity Office fosters a culture of human rights, equity, and inclusion through innovative equity strategies, policy guidance, unbiased support for sexual violence prevention, and enhanced campus accessibility.

The Accessibility Hub is a central online resource for accessibility at Queen’s. It serves to elevate inclusion and improve access for everyone at the University.

Equity Services provides information on equity matters throughout the University. This service identifies and initiates processes to identify gaps in equity policy.

Human Rights and Advisory Services provides information and confidential advice to individuals or groups at Queen's regarding protections available under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response works to prevent sexual violence at the university and support survivors of sexual violence at Queen's.

Queen's Department of Human Resources s committed to empowering people to achieve their best. We strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs and has the opportunity to excel.

The Office of Indigenous Initiatives builds community, advances reconciliation/conciliation and integrates Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the fabric and life of the university.

A student leader elected by students, the Rector serves as the representative of all undergraduate and graduate students to the institution in matters pertaining to education.

Serving on university governing bodies and committees, including the Board of Trustees and Senate, the Rector voices student concerns and promotes educational excellence.

The Rector also acts as an advisor and advocate for students in grievance procedures, and serves as a confidential support resource.

Representing graduate, law, and consecutive education students, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students advocates at all levels of university administration and lobbies the federal, provincial, and municipal governments on issues crucial to the well-being and success of graduate and professional students.

[Society of Graduate and Professional Students logo]

Student Wellness Services supports the personal, academic, and social development of students at Queen's by providing a range of health, counselling, and accessibility programs and services.

The Office of the University Ombudsperson provides independent, impartial, and confidential advisory services. These services may include facilitating the informal resolution of concerns and complaints of Queen’s faculty, staff, and students.

The Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion team is committed to creating comfortable and accountable spaces for students who identify as Queer, and/or Trans, and/or Black, and/or Indigenous, and/or as People of Colour (QTBIPoC) to feel safer, to create community, to be empowered, to celebrate their identity, and to flourish. We seek to engage students in initiatives that actively dismantle oppressive, racist, and colonial ideologies and practices.

Together against hate

[hand and heart drawing]

Hate and discrimination have no place on our campus. We all play a role in challenging hate and promoting safety and respect for every member of our community. If you have experienced or witnessed hate, harassment, discrimination, or reprisal, Queen's has supports and complaint processes to confront and cope with this conduct.

Learning and Training

Queen's is committed to advancing a culture of learning for it's employees including a wide range of customized training, stand-alone workshops, and certificate programs related to culture, equity and diversity.

Employee Learning and Development opportunities include Queen's Leadership Programs, supporting people in leading roles in their professional development and growth, including on I-EDIAA topics.

Faculty and staff can also explore the collection of workshops and modules available through the Human Rights and Equity Office Equity Training Catalogue, including:

Learn about truth and reconcilliation, decolonization and indigenization, ways of knowing, and being an ally from the Indigenous Initiatives website

Find resources for QTBIPoC individuals to learn, connect with their communities and strengthen their identities.

Okanagan Charter: In 2019, Queen’s made a formal commitment to the health and wellness of students, staff and faculty by joining universities from around the world in adopting the Okanagan Charter: An International Charter for Health Promoting Universities and Colleges. The Charter calls on post-secondary schools to embed health into all aspects of campus culture and to lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally.

Scarborough Charter: In 2021 Queen's became a signatory to the The Scarborough Charter On Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education. This commits Queen's to implementing action items and to full accountability to a sector network of signatory institutions.

Teaching Resources include:

Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion)

The Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) oversees the work of the Human Rights and Equity Office, University Ombudsperson, Indigenous Initiatives, and Complaints and Investigations. We are committed to fostering a university culture rich in inclusivity, equity, and belonging, while empowering individuals to reach their full potential.