This week in austerity and budget cut news #4

  1. The most recent issue of the QUFA Voices newsletter (January 2024) is a special issue on the budget.
  2. On Thursday members of Queen’s Student vs Cuts (QUSVC) met with the Principal and the Provost, presenting them with a list of ‘action proposals’ developed in consultation with individual students (via social media), members of ASUS, AMS, PSAC, QUFA, and the Queen’s Coalition Against Austerity (QCAA). They have yet to receive a response to their proposals.
  3. Much of the public discussion among staff, faculty and students in relation to the financial situation at Queen’s was prompted by the Shock Doctrine report that was released last fall. The report argues that the University has some options available to it that could help obviate the need for drastic cuts that will result in job loss and harm to the academic mission. One of several options is to increase by a small amount the portion of investment income that moves into the operating budget each year. In public meetings and in the media, administrators say that such a suggestion would be unsustainable and deplete our reserves. This animated figure helps put that comment into perspective (Note: the graph takes about 25 seconds to fully load).
  4. More than 100 people filled the second floor of the Grad Club last Tuesday for an Anti-Austerity Social. Undergrad students, grad students, staff, adjunct and permanent faculty, members of CUPE, PSAC, USW, and QUFA shared notes and ideas.

We honestly cannot remember a previous time at Queen’s where people from so many different constituencies have been so intent on supporting each other and working together.

  1. There’s been a lot of discussion about the NousCubane Uniforum Service Effectiveness Survey that was sent out under the auspices of the Queen’s Renew Project. With talk of potential job losses on campus, it’s no surprise that many people have a lot of questions about how or if the survey is specific to Queen’s, how much the project is costing the university, how the data will be used, and who will get to see it. Faculty with expertise in survey design have been sending their criticisms of the Uniforum survey to QCAA.  A recent blog post raises important questions asked by several Queen’s experts about the legitimacy of the data being collected.
  2. On Friday we heard from colleagues at the University of Ottawa that they had just received emails announcing that they too will be receiving the NousCubane survey in the near future.
  3. On Tuesday World University News, an “online global higher education publication,” printed a wide-ranging article on Queen’s, based on an interview with Principal Patrick Deane. The Principal put the situation at Queen’s into its broader federal and provincial contexts, talking about recent government initiatives to reduce the number of international students in Canada, and on-going provincial funding constraints. He expressed concern about the current cultural tendency to view education in instrumental terms and with a “kind of mercenary orientation to the labour market.” He also asserted that Queen’s is not undergoing a comprehensive curriculum review that might result in gutting the humanities. Instead, Principal Deane said:

“The essence of the institution has been linked to the liberal arts, with 50% of the institution given over to the [faculty of] arts and sciences.”

  1. Writers and editors at the Queen’s Journal continue to provide excellent coverage of the many threads that link the budget crisis narrative; the Nous project, FAS program changes, the mess at the Castle, and the damage all of these are doing to the reputation of the institution and the morale of many who work and study here. Last week I forgot to mention a story from 2 February on Dean Barbara Crow’s explanation of changes to FAS programs. One of the key proposed changes is to reduce the number of credits required for a major. The Dean suggests this will increase flexibility for students. It is also one of the only ways the faculty office will be able to manage the proposed reduction in the total number of courses on offer. QUSVC has posted their own assessment of these proposals.
  2. In relevant provincial news, Global News reported yesterday that the province will be making a statement later this month related to higher education funding and the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon panel. A provincial decision to follow the recommendations of that panel would be welcomed by all institutions of higher education. An increase in provincial funding would shift the context shaping current budget discussions at Queen’s.
  3. In other extremely important provincial news, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that Bill 124, which had imposed a cap on public sectors wages, is unconstitutional, as reported by the CBC. The Province has announced that they “will take steps to repeal Bill 124 in its entirety.” This is decision will significantly shift the context in which CUPE, USW and PSAC go into bargaining later this year. 
  4. QCAA is holding a reading group at the Grad Club, Tuesday 13 February from 5:30 to 7:30. Everyone is welcome. The article to be discussed looks at the relationship between university administrators and consulting firms, like Nous. More information and the link to the reading are available on the event post.
  5. You can find Queensu Students vs Cuts on Instagram.
  6. You can also find more interesting material if you browse the Queen’s community page on Reddit.