August Updates

QCAA may have taken a break over the summer, but the university’s austerity juggernaut has not. Below are some important updates, which we encourage you to share with your units. 

• The so-called “Phase 2” layoffs in FAS, which are focused on technical and teaching support staff, have begun. The university has done its best to hide information about job losses from the community, but QCAA has been able to confirm that at least four staff members, some of whom have worked at the university for decades, have lost their jobs. We have also confirmed that some staff are now split between departments, holding two jobs, while others have been redeployed to new units. Once again, the university is eliminating the jobs of its lowest-paid members whose work directly supports its academic mission. 
• On Thursday, August 21, Bob Lemieux, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), announced that the Voluntary Retirement Program (VRP) for FAS faculty members will be offered for a second consecutive year. To QCAA’s knowledge, this year’s program is available only to QUFA members in FAS, which means that it is being used as a tool to further diminish FAS relative to other faculties. Unlike in 2024, Dean Lemieux, not the Provost, made this year’s VRP announcement, and information about the program is housed on the FAS website. It is accompanied by the now-familiar preface placing responsibility for the university’s operating deficit with FAS, without acknowledging that FAS’s share of the shortfall is an artifact of a budget model that systematically disadvantages the faculty due to its lower tuition fees (as well as the history of plundering seats from many of its programs).
• Many unit heads were surprised to receive a June 19 memo from Provost Matthew Evans and Vice-Provost Lynne-Marie Postovit that appeared to introduce new criteria and alter existing criteria for members seeking Renewal/Tenure/Promotion (RTP). QCAA understands that QUFA has responded to the memo, identifying some points at which it contravenes the Collective Agreement (CA), including in relation to external research funding, number of graduate supervisees, and publication quantity. In the meantime, QUFA encourages members to consult the CA for all matters related to RTP. 
• Some units in FAS have experienced significant reductions in their teaching assistant budgets in 2025-26 (over 35% in at least one case). These cuts impact the quality of education undergraduates receive. QCAA has learned of one unit that was forced to eliminate all tutorials in its 100-level introductory course, and instructors across the faculty are having to adopt reductive, standardized assessment methods that deny students personalized, in-depth feedback that assists their learning. The cuts also threaten graduate student funding packages. While the new formula by which funds are allocated to units was announced prior to the PSAC strike, it has become clear in the aftermath that the university is recouping the hourly wage increase that PSAC won by reducing overall hours.
• A new submission to the Austerity Gossip Box asks some questions about the concerning rumour that one unit in FAS is considering departing from the faculty. 
• The announcement of the 2025-26 Queen’s National Scholar competition signalled a sharp departure from previous iterations. The university is no longer seeking to enhance academic excellence and capacity in areas that align with Queen’s commitments to institutional change through targeted hiring at the assistant or associate level. Rather, the emphasis has shifted to non-thematic hiring of CRC-eligible faculty members at the associate or full level who have the potential to generate research income. 
• QUFA has launched a grievance disputing the imposition of the new Endpoint Protection requirements. Some of the problems with Endpoint are described in these letters from colleagues in the School of Computing and the Faculty of Law (QUFA Voices, p.6).  
• In happier news, QCAA will hold regular post-FAS Faculty Board socials through the fall term! The first one will take place at the Grad Club on September 12, from 4.30 pm or whenever the meeting finishes. Staff, students and faculty from across campus are welcome. We hope to see you there! 
• Finally, watch this space for news about an Anti-Austerity speaker series brought to you by the Canadian Higher Education Solidarity and Support Network, of which QCAA is a founding member. 

As always, QCAA invites you to share news about your corner of the university, either through the Gossip Box or the web form.