Important messages, dates and news from the Faculty office.
Important Dates

Monday February 15, 2021
Family Day (classes will not be held)

Tuesday February 16, 2021 to Friday February 19, 2021
Mid-term Reading Week (all classes cancelled)

Monday February 22, 2021 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Undergraduate Chairs and Assistants Meeting
deansMessage from Dean Barbara Crow

 

Further to the messages and updates provided by the Office Provost and Vice-Principal this week regarding updated information for the research community, for faculty and staff about allowable on-campus work, and for faculty, staff, and students on planning for the 2021-22 academic year, I would like to reassure you that we are here to listen to you, respond to your questions, and to take actions to support our entire community. Supporting you is my top priority.

Please join us for a Town Hall from 3:00-4:30pm (EST) on Wednesday, February 24. It is an opportunity for us to check-in with one another, to speak about the impacts of COVID on our community and planning for the future, and to recognize that it is Pink Shirt Day. Dr. Wendy Craig (Psychology) will be our special guest and will speak about the results of the research she conducted on the impact of the pandemic on our community this past fall. She and I, along with our Senior Leadership Team, will take questions and listen to your suggestions on how we can continue to support our people as we navigate the pandemic together. As it is Pink Shirt Day, we encourage you to join us in taking a stand against bullying. Please see below for more information and register to connect with us at our Town Hall.

With Family Day and Reading Week approaching, I also would like to take this opportunity to wish you well and to encourage you to find the time to take breaks to care for yourself and others next week. It is hard to believe that we are now more than a quarter of the way through the winter term, and I know that January has been particularly challenging for many of us, with the additional restrictions in Ontario, across Canada, and around the world. It is encouraging to see these restrictions being lifted in many places. At the same time, it is important to ensure that we continue to take care of ourselves and each other, and that we remain resilient and empathetic to the circumstances of those around us. I encourage you to take a break in the next week and to spend time with those who mean the most to you, whenever possible, and then we will come back together to finish the academic year strong and connected.

Please stay healthy and safe and enjoy your break!

Sincerely

Barbara Crow, PhD
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science
stand
Town Hall with Dean Barbara Crow and Dr. Wendy Craig

Please join Dean Barbara Crow, Dr. Wendy Craig (Psychology), the Faculty of Arts and Science Senior Leadership Team, and your fellow students, staff, and faculty members for a Town Hall from 3:00-4:30 on Wednesday, February 24.

The Town Hall is intended to be a time for us to check-in with one another, to speak about the impacts of COVID on our community and planning for the future, and to recognize that it is Pink Shirt Day, the annual day when Canadians are asked to take a stand against bullying and to make that stance public by including an article of pink clothing in their ensemble.
Dr. Craig conducted research on the impact of the pandemic on our community this past fall through a series of Thought Exchanges and will present an overview of the results, and along with Dean Crow will take questions and listen to your suggestions on how we can continue to support our people as we navigate the pandemic together.

In addition, Dr. Craig's research focuses on bullying, victimization, healthy relationships, and knowledge mobilization and she examines bullying and victimization from a developmental psychopathology perspective. Not only has Wendy received countless awards and accolades, she is a rock star researcher who has advised Lady Gaga on a bullying prevention project for her Born this Way Foundation and appeared on television with Oprah Winfrey.  She would be happy to answer any questions you might have about her research and experience.

Everyone is welcome at our Town Hall. We would like to listen to you, respond to any questions you may have, and offer you the opportunity to take a stand against bullying and to connect with our community.  We also encourage you to join us in wearing an article of pink clothing.

 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
specialAmitava Chowdhury Appointed Special Advisor

The Faculty of Arts and Science is pleased to announce that Dr. Amitava Chowdhury has been appointed Special Advisor to the Dean on Global and Decolonization Initiatives. This is an exciting new appointment commencing this month. As Special Advisor to the Dean, Dr. Chowdhury will investigate and advise on global and decolonization initiatives to ensure they are in accordance with the Faculty's Strategic Plan.

Dr. Chowdhury is an Associate Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of History. He is a historian and historical archaeologist of agrarian labour regimes and colonial plantations in the British Empire, and methodologically, he is interested in global history and diaspora theory. In the department, he is also the co-director of the Global History Initiative, a faculty and graduate research forum in global history. Dr. Chowdhury is a former fellow of Harvard University's Weatherhead Initiative in Global History and a former Managing Editor of the Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Since arriving at Queen's in 2008, he has taught at every level, from first-year lectures to graduate seminars, and pedagogically, he is invested in globalizing and decolonizing the curriculum. 

He is the past winner of the Department of History's Teaching Excellence Award and has been nominated for several other teaching awards, including the Frank Knox Teaching Excellence Prize. His co-edited book Between Dispersion and Belonging won the 2017 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award. 

Please join us in welcoming Amitava to our leadership team!
zoomSecuring your Zoom meetings

The following 10 steps are recommended to protect your meetings:

1. Password protect your meetings
2. Authenticate users
3. Join before others arrive
4. Lock down your meeting
5. Turn off participant screen sharing
6. Use a randomly-generated meeting ID
7. Use waiting rooms
8. Avoid file sharing
9. Remove nuisance attendees and bombers
10. Check for Zoom updates

There is an attached document on Best Practices for Securing your Zoom Meeting and there is additional information at https://www.queensu.ca/its/zoom/security-considerations-zoom-queens. If you need help with this, you can ask and the IT Support Centre will walk you through it (613-533-6666).

If there are intrusions on your meeting, it is recommended that you either 1) turn off participant microphone & screen sharing and then remove participant OR 2) end the meeting immediately.

Please encourage any students who feel in need of support following an intrusion or attack on their learning environment to contact Student Wellness Services, consult their online 24/7 resources through Empower Me or TAO (Therapy Assistance Online), see the list of After-Hours Services, or reach out to Faith and Spiritual Life. Our Office of Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion can also offer support to staff, students, and faculty members who are seeking assistance in addressing harassment or discrimination matters.
traqTRAQ 2.0

The Vice-Principal (Research) Portfolio is pleased to announce TRAQ 2.0 - a three-phase plan to modernize, upgrade and streamline research support services currently supported by Topaz Elements and Tools for Research at Queen's (TRAQ). Currently in the project development phase, the new one-stop portal will feature design and functionality improvements that have been requested by our Topaz and TRAQ users over the past decade. We strive to implement an integrated platform that enhances the customer experience, increases transparency, removes barriers and ensures research administration processes at Queen's are adaptable to the dynamic research landscape while also remaining compliant with regulations and policies.

Visit queensu.ca/vpr/resources/TRAQ2 for updates, the opportunity to share comments or questions, and FAQs on the TRAQ 2.0 project.
lectureDr. Duncan Sinclair Lecture: Dr. Bonnie Henry

Balancing vaccine hope with pandemic reality, Wednesday, February 10 at 4:30 pm EST. Guest speaker Dr. Bonnie Henry is the Provincial Health Officer for British Columbia and has been the face of public health and government throughout the COVID pandemic in that province. Dr. Henry will address policy ramifications and dilemmas at a time of high hopes for the effects of population vaccination while society continues to be beset by ongoing and mounting COVID challenges.

The lecture is presented by the School of Policy Studies and the Health Services and Policy Research Unit at Queen's University.

Registration is required for this event. Visit the School of Policy Studies page or use this link to register for the lecture.
contagionContagion Cultures Lecture Series
 
This series is a Faculty of Arts and Science collaboration which helps to make sense of this pandemic through the expertise and insights of Arts and Science faculty members.

The series is live-streamed on Zoom every Tuesday at 4:00 PM EST.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, February 23 - Contagious Humour: Scott MacKenzie, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Film and Media, Queen's University

For more info on the series and to register please visit https://www.queensu.ca/sps/events/contagion-cultures.
studentStudent E-Newsletters

For the latest student eNewsletters, please see queensu.ca/artsci. You can find our emails to students in the bottom right corner of our homepage.
TwitterFollow Us on Twitter!

Don't forget that we have a Twitter account for Arts and Science Faculty and Staff! Get news and updates from the Faculty and the rest of the University, as well as another place to access the Staff & Faculty E-newsletter. Follow us @QUASfacultynews.