QUFA Executive Committee elections are fast approaching, and it looks like these will be the most lively races in a long time! QCAA is heartened by the energy with which QUFA members are taking up union work. Robust member mobilization is the very foundation of pushing back against austerity and other attacks on the university. … Continue reading QCAA Endorsements for QUFA Elections
Key Dates (inc. Today’s Senate)
With so much going on over the next couple of weeks, QCAA has made a schedule of key dates. Hope to see you there, there, and there! __________ SENATE, Thursday, April 16, 2:30 pm, Notice of Motion: “Creation of a New Academic Entity.” Here, Senate will learn about the Provost’s plan to create the category … Continue reading Key Dates (inc. Today’s Senate)
More Holes than Swiss Cheese: On the Idea to Create a College of Computing
On April 8, over 200 members of the Queen’s community showed up to the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) Town Hall, where the idea of transforming the School of Computing into a “college” within FAS was the sole item on the agenda. QCAA has spoken with many attendees since the meeting, and, to a … Continue reading More Holes than Swiss Cheese: On the Idea to Create a College of Computing
Winners and Losers: A Wild Week at Queen’s
Not known for his morale-boosting or consensus-building, Provost Evans has plumbed new depths in recent weeks. Here, we focus on his approach to three key issues of serious consequence to the future of the university: The abrupt departure of Interim Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, Bob Lemieux, on March 26; the plan … Continue reading Winners and Losers: A Wild Week at Queen’s
Deep Impact+: New Canada Chairs Program Steers Queen’s Towards High-Tech, Military, and Undemocratic Futures
Over the last several weeks, faculty, staff, and students have been asked to rearrange schedules at the last minute; we’re pulled into job talks and appointments committee meetings through hushed tones with the promise that we might land a Big Researcher. Most of the appointment processes underway are part of the Canada Global Impact+ Research … Continue reading Deep Impact+: New Canada Chairs Program Steers Queen’s Towards High-Tech, Military, and Undemocratic Futures
From Leaks to Geeks
Greetings QCAA readers! It may be a new year, but Queen’s is still a hot mess. Here are some of the highlights from the first month of 2026. It’s not news that the provincial government and Queen’s administration are trying to shrink the arts, humanities, social sciences, and even some basic sciences in the post-secondary … Continue reading From Leaks to Geeks
QCAA Social! January 16, 4:30 pm
You are invited to QCAA's first social of the year. We'll be gathering at the Grad Club after FAS Faculty Board, which typically ends between 4:00 and 4.30 pm. We hope to see you there!
“Empty and Hollow Inside”: One Reader’s Response to the FAS Dean’s Town Hall
Dear Dean Lemieux (Bob), I attended the FAS Town Hall in Humphrey Auditorium yesterday, and left feeling grateful to be in the privileged position of being able to retire next year. I think the most depressing aspect of the Town Hall was the lack of any discussion of what we are doing as an institution … Continue reading “Empty and Hollow Inside”: One Reader’s Response to the FAS Dean’s Town Hall
Further Diminishing FAS? The Proposal to Allow FAS Students to take 12 External Credits
QCAA received the following commentary on the FAS proposal to raise the external credit allowance from 6.0-units to 12.0-units. (See “Motion Regarding Revisions to the Academic Program Regulation” in the FAS Faculty Board Agenda package for Friday, November 21). We are grateful to the readers who submit such analyses to us and invite others to … Continue reading Further Diminishing FAS? The Proposal to Allow FAS Students to take 12 External Credits
Still a Trap: How to Respond to the Second “Service Effectiveness Survey”
The administration has sent out another “survey” by Nous to assess shared services. The survey is very similar to the first one and asks us to evaluate service relevance and performance. The only difference is that it’s even more incompetent than the last one (if you can believe it). For example, one section asks if … Continue reading Still a Trap: How to Respond to the Second “Service Effectiveness Survey”
