Amid mounting pressure, Jana Amer has resigned as the 156th president of Queen’s University’s Alma Mater Society (AMS).
The resignation follows a motion brought forward by Faculty Society (FacSoc) presidents on Feb. 27 calling for Amer’s impeachment.
In a letter to Assembly members, FacSoc presidents cited concerns about accountability within the executive team, stating, “It has also become evident that internal organizational dynamics have impacted the effectiveness of AMS offices.”
Amer formally resigned in an email to the AMS, effective March 9.
In a letter to the editor published in The Queen’s Journal, Amer outlined her rationale for stepping down.
She described serving as AMS president as “one of the greatest honours of my time at Queen’s” and highlighted key initiatives from her term, including speaking at the NDTR Sacred Fire and securing summer access to the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) for undergraduate students.
Amer also pointed to internal challenges during her tenure, noting she oversaw up to 10 internal portfolio transitions during the fall term. These transitions contributed to an administrative backlog, which led to issues tracking some AMS expenditures and ultimately contributed to the controversy surrounding her presidency.
The controversy began earlier this term when financial documents were released publicly on Jan. 28 during a special Assembly. The documents revealed $1,762.61 in transactions made between May 1 and Oct. 27 without accompanying receipts.
Documentation later confirmed that several expenses were legitimate AMS purchases. However, $640.70 in transactions could not be verified as AMS-related, and Amer acknowledged that $377.32 of those expenses were personal.
Records also show that Amer reimbursed the AMS $640.70 on Dec. 11, 2025.
Following the review, the AMS Board of Directors imposed a spending limit on the presidential credit card for the remainder of Amer’s term on Oct. 27.
A separate report prepared for the board identified weaknesses in the AMS credit card system, including a lack of formal training on proper card use.
Once details of the credit card spending became public, debate spread among students, particularly on social media, where some called for Amer’s resignation and broader governance reforms within the AMS.
In the weeks that followed, several student-led petitions emerged, echoing calls for the resignation of Amer and other AMS executives.
An impeachment motion was later filed under Section 4.1.7 of the AMS Constitution, which allows the Assembly to remove the president or vice-presidents through a two-thirds vote.
Amer submitted her resignation ahead of the planned impeachment proceedings, which were originally scheduled for a special Assembly on March 13. Instead, a special Assembly was held on March 3 to formally accept her resignation.
In a joint statement posted on the AMS Instagram account, Vice-President (Operations) Elena Nurzynski and Vice-President (University Affairs) Alyssa Perisa confirmed Amer’s resignation and outlined the transition process.
The statement also noted that Nurzynski had planned to resign prior to Amer’s departure but chose to remain in her role following the resignation.
“(Nurzynski) determined it was in the best interest of the Society to remain in her role to support leadership stability,” the statement read.
Dreyden George, who was recently elected as the incoming AMS president and currently serves as chair of the Board of Directors, will assume the role effective March 27.