Solidarity. Not Austerity.
In the aftermath of mass layoffs and ongoing budget cuts, the Faculty of Arts and Science has been running resiliency workshops for those employees who remain. Designed to show workers “how they can thrive under pressure,” the one-hour virtual sessions are led by certified mental health clinicians with Telus Health, the outfit with whom Queen’s contracts … Continue reading Smiling Our Way Through Austerity
Queen’s’ commitments to equity are once again under the spotlight as questions arise about the impact of June’s cuts on the university’s most marginalized members. When asked by QCAA for the equity profile of the 16 people laid off last month, Dean Barbara Crow provided the following statement: Queen’s does not discuss decisions regarding staff … Continue reading No Equity in Austerity
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
The mess that is the ideologically-motivated restructuring of the Faculty of Arts and Science continues apace. FAS teaches 70 percent of Queen’s students; it was long the source of the reputation for excellence that was seen to accrue to a Queen’s education. Disparaged by a populist provincial government that has refused to provide adequate funding, … Continue reading Newsletter #17 (6/26/2024)
Late Tuesday afternoon, employees in the Faculty of Arts and Science received a personalized email from Dean Barbara Crow titled “Update.” The vaguely worded message appears to have been written in a hurry, leading some panicked staff and faculty to believe they were receiving a layoff notice. That FAS was ill-prepared to communicate publicly about … Continue reading Seeking Clarity? What QCAA Knows about the June 25 Layoffs
As anticipated, layoffs have begun in the Faculty of Arts and Science - three days before a long weekend. As usual, senior administrators in FAS have refused to communicate with the community about how many positions will be lost, how many people will lose their jobs, and how the work is going to get done … Continue reading Impact of layoffs and restructuring – a survey
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?
Two weeks ago the university quietly released Huron Consulting’s report on the Queen's Budget Model. When the report was completed in June 2022, senior administrators promised that it would be published online. However, despite numerous requests at Senate and elsewhere, it took the university almost two years to release the report publicly. That we now … Continue reading University finally releases budget model report
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?
A long weekend means a short newsletter this week! It is almost the end of May, and we still do not know what’s up in ArtSci in terms of staff layoffs. We know they are coming. But when exactly? And how many? It’s a few weeks since the VEI program applications were due. Many (all?) … Continue reading Newsletter #16 (5/24/2024)
Queen's Coalition Against Austerity 