Here are our September updates on what's been happening on campus, this time with news on collegial governance, workplace surveillance, and more.
QUFA’s Tentative Roll-Over Agreement: Concerns and Questions
The Queen’s University Faculty Association has reached a tentative roll-over agreement with the university administration. If ratified, the roll-over would extend the current collective agreement for one year, until June 30, 2026. The administration wants this roll-over, claiming it sought the delay due to fatigue from a string of difficult negotiations with other campus unions … Continue reading QUFA’s Tentative Roll-Over Agreement: Concerns and Questions
Gaslighting, the politics of budgets, concerns about surveillance, and more
On Thursday, April 17, Queen's Senate had a meeting that dealt with budgetary issues, fallout from the PSAC 901 strike, the shrinking of the Bachelor of Arts program, and how Deans are appointed. A win, and a note about gaslighting and the politics of budgets The Provost’s budget update largely focused on scapegoating the Faculty … Continue reading Gaslighting, the politics of budgets, concerns about surveillance, and more
FAS Faculty Board Special Meeting Update: Some Answers and Many Outstanding Questions
With less than 48 hours' notice, 150 members of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) logged into a meeting to discuss the Provost’s plan for seat transfers at Queen’s. The Provost’s announcement at the March 27 Senate meeting that he would move a further 200 seats from BA/BAH programs in FAS to the Faculty … Continue reading FAS Faculty Board Special Meeting Update: Some Answers and Many Outstanding Questions
Beware of Endpoint Protection, plus a panel on Equity and Austerity
Today we are sharing two pieces of news: First, an urgent letter from four colleagues in the School of Computing warning about the impact of Endpoint Protection on privacy, academic freedom, and security. As the authors note, these issues have not been made clear by the university. Please share the letter widely. Second, the Equity … Continue reading Beware of Endpoint Protection, plus a panel on Equity and Austerity
What Happened at Faculty Board?
Members present at a three-hour FAS Faculty Board meeting on Friday, November 22, emerged from Dupuis Hall with more questions than answers about the proposed shift to a modular degree framework. You can read a blow-by-blow account of the meeting below. A brief overview of what happened is as follows: At the end of a … Continue reading What Happened at Faculty Board?
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
An Indictment of Leadership
One day prior to the Principal’s staff appreciation BBQ on July 4, and just five days after mass layoffs in FAS, QCAA learned that all members of the Queen’s Management and Professional Group (Grades 10-14) had been granted a pay increase of between 4.25 and 4.75%. Effective July 1, 2024, the salary range for members … Continue reading An Indictment of Leadership
A lesson from Classics…
Daryn Lehoux, Department Head of Classics and Archaeology, recently addressed Queen's budget crisis by reflecting on the value of Humanities (and liberal arts programs more generally) for the university. He writes: In response to the press we’ve been getting this last couple of weeks, some people have been saying to me that at some level … Continue reading A lesson from Classics…
Queen's Coalition Against Austerity 