Since we posted about the undergraduate students’ open letter on March 26th, the number of signatories has more than doubled to over 1600. Today, we write to to draw your attention to the bottom of that letter where more than 100 parents have added their names and reasons for signing. QCAA has provided a sample of parents’ comments below. You can find a link to the full list of responses here (scroll to the end).
This is ridiculous. We are paying money for our child’s education. It is causing undue stress and fear in an already stressful time. Do better Queens.
Queen’s needs to get back to sorting out the current strike. As the parent of a student graduating this year, I’m terribly disappointed that her last month of classes is basically lost. She has no one giving lectures in several classes, no one marking assignments, and no one leading labs. She will graduate missing an important part of the information she expected to receive, and for which we paid. Please get back to negotiating.
Working conditions are learning conditions. Graduate student workers are essential workers. A university education does not exist without university educators. I am working with other parents to organize a collective demand for a refund of tuition dollars for every week of missed tutorials. Get back to the bargaining table with a serious offer that responds to the crisis that these workers and students are facing!
To request an end to this strike. To grant those teachers a fair increase and/or cost of living wage to reflect current times. To allow students to properly gain their credits based on their syllabus.
You can’t talk about justice and social responsibility without providing the conditions for your workers to afford housing and a decent life in general in the city where they are supposed to work. You can’t expect good classes from people who are struggling to have the bare minimum. They are not a mere detail in Queen’s. They are essential.
These students have been through Covid lockdowns, my daughter was thrown out of Bader College last year by careless administration at Queen’s, and now no classes, multiple essays that will not be read because of an incompetent administration, and it appears trustees that misunderstand their obligation to the students’ well-being. There needs to be a complete investigation into the trustees and administration of Queens.
I am deeply concerned about the quality of education provided by this institution, as well as its disregard for regulations that were established by the university itself. This approach jeopardizes the future of hardworking students, effectively using their education as leverage in what appears to be a tactical maneuver, rather than following proper negotiation procedures. Our children are eager to complete their education and enter the workforce to support themselves, but your actions are preventing them from achieving these goals.
The requests from PSAC 901 are reasonable, and it is imperative that you work towards a fair resolution to protect the interests of the students who are financially invested in their education.
Failure to do so sends a troubling message: that regardless of how much effort students put into their education, 1) they may not graduate if the university can gain traction by holding their grades ransom, and 2) even if they do graduate, employers may not honor agreements or the Employment Standards Act. Given this, I ask, why should future students choose to attend your institution?
The initial communication stated no interruption to classes would occur; however, that is not what has happened. We are now in week 3 and no end in sight for this to be resolved. Almost a quarter of the semester has been lost and this is not acceptable.
Working conditions are learning conditions. Graduate student workers are essential workers. A university education does not exist without university educators. I am working with other parents to organize a collective demand for a refund of tuition dollars for every week of missed tutorials. Get back to the bargaining table with a serious offer that responds to the crisis that these workers and students are facing!
The strike is in no way the student’s responsibility. Final weighting of grades strays drastically from the Queen’s pre-stated syllabus and has an extremely deleterious effect on student mental health and well-being. They are your most valuable assets, advocates, customers & future donors. Shame on you.
Please, put your students first, treat your employees fairly and respect the efforts we the parents and students make “to pay for a good education.”
What kind of lesson are you teaching our youth here? Money over all?
Regardless of the tuition fees that we pay, your students should not be paying the cost of this internal operational issue between the school and their TA’s. Your students deserve better than a pass or fail! They do not own this disagreement and are innocent bystanders in this. Resolve it and do not make them pay the consequences.
Queen’s takes thousands of dollars from each student, and part of that goes toward TAs. Pay them their worth.
My child has put in a lot of work these past few years, and the TA assistance has been instrumental in her success. The work that the TAs do is important and meaningful, and they should be paid appropriately.
Additionally, to have a mark of CR is not acceptable, as that would not be fair to the students as an accurate representation of the situation. At minimum, the mark should be GD.
Students, their parents, Queen’s alumni, faculty, staff, and community members can copy QCAA on individual letters sent to the administration here. If you are copied on a letter that you wish to circulate, please seek permission to share before submitting it. We are happy to publish anonymous contributions.
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