Tensions increased as students questioned the leadership of higher istration when it came to handling the University’s financial affairs.
The University hosted a virtual student question and answer session on Feb. 12 over Teams to discuss Queen’s finances with Principal Patrick Deane, Provost Mathew Evans, and Donna Janiec, vice-principal (finance and istration).
Evans stated due to the University’s size, student representatives are used to bridge the communication gap with the student body about the financial standing of the University.
Evans recently initiated a newsletter that will publish once a month to give a “serious” factual update on the University’s financial standing. The newsletter will be going out to student leadership and representatives, particularly the Rector, postgraduate representatives, AMS, and faculty.
“Especially in times of difficulty, such as the present budgetary issues, it’s particularly important that we stay connected to students and keep students properly informed,” Deane said during the meeting.
When it comes to protecting the academic mission of the University, Evans argues claims of significant increases in class size are an “exaggeration.”He clarified by saying the increase will be happening to the scale of 10 to 20 students in the classes.
“We’re committed to ensuring the students who come here have a good experience. But that goes across the board for students who are currently privileged enough to be in small classes,” Evans said.
Devin Fowlie, SGPS president, brought up a concern shared by many graduate students, which is the impact of the University’s negative image on their degrees while they aim to enter the work force.
Deane echoes Fowlie’s concerns, but emphasized this issue isn’t unique to Queen’s University; budgetary issues are prevalent across the sector. Deane is committed to countering the negative publicity Queen’s has been receiving by highlighting its strengths.
For Jacob Marrow, the negative publicity didn’t arise suddenly, but was due to Provost Evan’s comments regarding Queen’s going “bankrupt.” Marrow referred to Evans’ blog, which speaks to “leaving universities in a really bad shape,” before the blog posts were made private.
Deane refused to discuss Evans’ blog, but reiterated Evans is an experienced and well-regarded and has seen istrative service on many continents.
“There’s a great deal of good that occurs on this campus in excellent research, outstanding students in the work they do, and we have to keep telling the stories about what’s excellent in this institution,” Deane added.
Mature student James McDonald raised a question to senior istration regarding the seriousness with which Queen’s senior management is considering the pay cuts.
Deane addressed the question by saying everyone who works at the institution has the right to the appropriate level of compensation.
Unsatisfied with the answer, McDonald redirected this statement.
“I’ve got a professor posting 315 Gs. He can’t even figure out how to make the projector work. You’ve got one guy who did a meeting last month, telling people the University is going to go bankrupt. So now you’re saying that it’s not gonna go bankrupt, that’s fine. But if you guys are serious, put your money where your mouth is,” McDonald said.
Deane said many salaries are negotiated under collective bargaining, but it needs to be clarified upper istration isn’t governed by the agreements only professors are.
Marrow said recent news of the $10,000 plane trip to Bader College for Evans alone showcases how the upper istration can and should be obliged to cut their budgets.
The lack of funding from the government has left graduate students feeling as through no one is fighting for them, Sarah Eilish Waldron, a graduate student from the biology department, said during the meeting.
Deane reassured Waldron during his meeting with government officials in Ottawa last week, universities lobbied for increases in graduate student and granting councils to be included in the federal budget.
“The academic enterprise in this country is at risk and the federal government really does need to take action on that in the very near future,” Deane said.
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James McDonald
This article is a textbook example as to why I dropped out of Print Journalism all those years ago.