The day after we published a post assessing the different options available to instructors for assigning grades in the context of the PSAC strike, the administration released an update on the university’s Labour News page. We are dismayed to see that the administration continues to insist on CR grades [credit standing] as the primary means … Continue reading A Response to the March 26 Labour News Update, Plus a Student Protest
Fair Grades, Fair Deal: Assessing the Impact of CR, GD, and Reweighting
Like everyone, we have been hearing a lot of concerns from students, faculty members, and department heads about all the unknowns related to grading decisions, final marks, and student transcripts. This post reflects the collaborative effort of MANY faculty members. It is a long post; if you prefer to read (and circulate!) a pdf, you … Continue reading Fair Grades, Fair Deal: Assessing the Impact of CR, GD, and Reweighting
Fiction and Fact in the PSAC Strike
Queen's is mustering staff, resources, and huge institutional email lists to try to shape campus narratives about the strike. Our version of the story is somewhat different. Today we are posting two items to help set the record straight. Scroll down to see a graded version of the university's March 19th statement on the strike. … Continue reading Fiction and Fact in the PSAC Strike
Keeping It Real: Fact-checking the Provost
On March 5th, the Provost sent a memorandum for “continuity planning” in the case of a USW and/or PSAC strike or lockout. As most people may now know, USW reached a tentative agreement in the early hours of Sunday. As we are posting this, late Sunday evening, we still do not know the outcome of … Continue reading Keeping It Real: Fact-checking the Provost
Reader Responses to the Principal’s Bicentennial Vision, #3
This is the third in our series of posts featuring readers’ responses to the Principal’s Bicentennial Vision. A big thanks to all those who have copied us on their correspondence and a reminder to keep sharing your answers by cutting and pasting them into this anonymous form. Today’s posts raise a new set of problems … Continue reading Reader Responses to the Principal’s Bicentennial Vision, #3
Deane vs Deane: Will the Real Principal Please Stand Up?
In our last post, we outlined some of our concerns with Principal Deane’s Bicentennial Vision, giving him a failing grade for his analysis. But perhaps we were being too harsh? We know that in the past, the Principal has demonstrated a keen sense of critical analysis, including in an interview with University World News published … Continue reading Deane vs Deane: Will the Real Principal Please Stand Up?
Queen’s Bicentennial Vision: From Liberal Arts University to Technical School
The murky process guiding the administration’s drive to restructure Queen’s got a bit more concrete last week when Principal Deane released a discussion paper, Queen’s Bicentennial Vision, in an email to all members of the university community. Readers who attended the December Senate meeting, where the Principal faced pressure to reveal the administration’s plans, will … Continue reading Queen’s Bicentennial Vision: From Liberal Arts University to Technical School
Creative Accounting? QCAA’s Analysis of Queen’s’ Year-End Financial Statements
The Queen’s administration releases regular updates on projected budget deficits, but it's the end-of-year audited financial statements that provide the clearest picture of the university's financial health. With the Board of Trustees meeting this weekend, those figures have now been released. The 2023-24 financial statements are interesting for several reasons, but one figure stands out: … Continue reading Creative Accounting? QCAA’s Analysis of Queen’s’ Year-End Financial Statements
Notes on finances from the Board of Trustees’ meeting agenda
With the Board of Trustees meeting this week, the administration has provided a series of reports for the Board’s meeting. In this post we provide details of two interesting developments: the updated financial projections for the 2023-24 year; and, a review of the Investment Committee’s Terms of Reference. A lower deficit and a win for … Continue reading Notes on finances from the Board of Trustees’ meeting agenda
Punishing Staff for Being Starved: Critiques of the Nous Cubane “Service Effectiveness Survey”
On January 31, 2024, the Provost Office announced the “Queen’s Renew Project”, directed by Nous Group consultants who have been hired by the university for an undisclosed amount to help the administration make cuts to balance the budget. The first part of this project involves a survey measuring faculty and staff satisfaction with university services … Continue reading Punishing Staff for Being Starved: Critiques of the Nous Cubane “Service Effectiveness Survey”
Queen's Coalition Against Austerity 