The Board of Trustees opened the session for the new academic year to allow student representatives to voice their concerns over cuts to the Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA).
On Sept. 27, the Board held its first meeting in Richardson Hall, where they addressed budget concerns, ongoing financial issues surrounding the QGA, and geopolitical tensions on campus.
The meeting opened with the new Chair of the Board of Trustees, David Court, Comm ’79, welcoming and Chancellor Shelagh Rogers, who assumed the role on June 1, succeeding Court will serve a four-year term, it was announced during the Board of Trustees meeting on March 8.
READ MORE: Homecoming: Shelagh Rogers returns to Queen’s University as Chancellor
Court addressed the events that occurred during the Senate meeting on Sept. 26, stating the Board of Trustees would any actions taken in response, as the situation was unacceptable.
“I want to comment on one action that happened in assaulting a member of our leadership team at the Senate. It’s completely unacceptable. No questions, no excuses,” Court said during the meeting.
READ MORE: Glitter thrown at Provost Evans during Senate protest
“I’ll just say, as a Board, that we any and all actions that the leadership team takes to deal with this. I’ll just say, as an alumnus of this fine institution, it’s embarrassing,” Court said to the Board, referring to a protestor who approached Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans at Senate and threw pink glitter at him, covering his jacket and tie.
Agenda items included the approval of financial reports, the presentation of the annual Non-Academic Misconduct report, and the hearing of student reports, including Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale, AMS President Owen Rocchi, and SGPS President Emils Matiss.
Principal’s Report
Principal Patrick Deane began his report by acknowledging the ongoing challenges on campus, stemming from current geopolitical issues and the financial burdens facing the University.
“I do want to recognize that every constituency in the University right now is experiencing challenges of one sort or another, whether it’s anxiety about their job prospects, whether it’s politically inflected, it’s a difficult time for our university,” Deane reported to the Board.
Deane recognizes these challenges aren’t unique to Queen’s and are broader issues ongoing across the province. He encourages people to embrace in dialogue and maintain and improve the quality of what he calls “collegiality and solidarity” on campus.
Acknowledging negative events often overshadows the positive things happening around us, Deane commended the orientation leaders for facilitating a smooth orientation and move-in process for new students on campus. He also highlighted a recent reception for Queen’s access and diversity scholarship programs at Grant Hall where Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Catalyst Scholars, Principal’s Global Scholars, and Major ission Awards recipients gathered. Deane called them “the future of the country and the future of the institution.”
“One of the other priorities I have is to find a way to make the University once again a place where productive debate and discussion can occur without it declining into the name calling and the taking of positions and abuse, because whether we’re talking about global politics or about the future of the University, the atmosphere has to be the same,” Deane said.
Deane calls on students and the broader community to make a concerted effort to foster an atmosphere which encourages respectful dialogue.
Student Reports
All student reports focused on understanding and advocating for graduate students, amid cuts.
Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale opened her remarks by emphasizing that, despite being sick, she was determined to voice the concerns and feelings of fear and uncertainty students are experiencing during these challenging times. She acknowledges there are many unquestioned answers and hopes the Board is open to having a discussion that will ensure transparency towards students.
READ MORE: Graduate funding slashed, a blow on equity and financial necessity
Boytchuk-Hale understands the need for cuts to be made but is hoping the Board can mitigate them such that there aren’t negative effects on students. She questioned the Board whether they felt comfortable pushing graduate students deeper into debt and putting students who are marginalized at a higher risk of food insecurity.
“There’s tension right now about who’s responsible for making this decision and I do think as trustees, we must contemplate the price we pay for inaction. Inaction has a cost. It has a cost to our student experience, diversity, culture, research, and reputation,” Boytchuk-Hale said when addressing the Board.
SGPS president Emils Matiss came before the Board with no demands other than three alternative solutions to refrain the University from cutting the QGA.
The first option is to use utilize the University’s pooled investment fund from this year and use the returns from that investment in the future to fund the QGA. The second option involves redirecting the $3.5 million surplus, which would sustain the QGA for the coming year but only as a temporary solution. The third option he proposed was to set aside $10 million to create a three-year buffer, providing time to reconstruct the graduate funding models and ensure the program aligns with the school’s mission.
“In my opinion, this would have devastating consequences for students, our research, and the reputation of Queen’s. Master’s students are not just learners, they’re contributors,” Matiss said.
Matiss urged the Board to think carefully about the implications of eliminating the QGA and the long-term consequences it will have on students.
The Board of Trustees will meet next on Dec. 6.
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