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”
September Updates
Here are our September updates on what's been happening on campus, this time with news on collegial governance, workplace surveillance, and more.
“I’d wear it on a t-shirt”: The National Post Defangs Nous
Thursday’s National Post has a cracker of a story on Nous, the consulting firm that has taken up residence in at least 20 Canadian universities since the start of the pandemic. The article follows news of Nous’ recent troubles in its home country, where its contracts with the Australian National University have been investigated by … Continue reading “I’d wear it on a t-shirt”: The National Post Defangs Nous
Layoff Week?
Four working days remain before the July 1 restructuring deadline that people in FAS have been hearing about for months. Yet, heads and department managers are still prohibited from giving staff any indication about whether they will have a job come July 1. The same injunction applies to communicating with workers who will remain at … Continue reading Layoff Week?
Cooking to Death?
At a “Strategy Session for Senior Leaders,” held on May 29 in a packed Ban Righ Dining Hall, Principal Patrick Deane likened Queen’s to a frog being slowly boiled alive. The Principal acknowledged that he had been caught by surprise by the depth of the university’s current budgetary problems. Previously, he had understood our challenges … Continue reading Cooking to Death?
Newsletter #11 (4/3/2024)
It’s the last week of classes! And next week starts with the eclipse! 1. It’s been great to see our dusty, end-of-winter campus covered in posters for the Joint Members Assembly that will be held on Thursday, April 4th at noon in the ARC gym. This event has been organized by Unity Council for members … Continue reading Newsletter #11 (4/3/2024)
Newsletter #10 (3/27/2024)
Not a lot has changed since last week. The provincial funding situation remains the same. There is still no coherent plan for how the work of the Faculty of Arts and Science will get done as we lose staff, adjuncts, and regular faculty. The Nous project is still wasting staff time. Students, staff, and faculty … Continue reading Newsletter #10 (3/27/2024)
Senior Administration Effectiveness Survey
The consultancy NOUS Cubane on behest of Queen’s University recently distributed a survey on shared services to guide which staff the administration will lay off. However, NOUS forgot to include questions about faculty and staff satisfaction with university leadership. This survey will remedy this oversight. We would appreciate your input to our Administration Effectiveness Survey, … Continue reading Senior Administration Effectiveness Survey
Newsletter #8 (3/13/2024)
From the Queen’s Strategy: “All the possibility and potential here at Queen's resides in our people, whose intellectual curiosity, passion to achieve and commitment to collaboration are great cause for pride.” 1. Last week’s postponed Faculty of Arts and Science Faculty Board meeting will be held this Friday, March 15th, at 3:30 pm, MacCorry B201 … Continue reading Newsletter #8 (3/13/2024)
Newsletter #7 (6/3/2024)
1. QCAA’s Week of Action Against Austerity started on Monday with an excellent teach-in on Consulting Firms, Benchmarking, and the Politics of Ratings, with a special focus on Nous. More than 100 people attended the event, which was co-sponsored by QUFA. Dr. Michael Savage, Senior Research Analyst at OCUFA and former Nous employee, warned us … Continue reading Newsletter #7 (6/3/2024)
Queen's Coalition Against Austerity 