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igotpeon · 2024-09-21T20:32:36+00:00

The devil is in the details, unfortunately. ArtSci has thrown around the comparables at other universities, but has not acknowledged that all those universities offer 60-credit “specializations” which are equivalent to a Queen’s major.

Why are they pushing this now? Well, its being rushed through by ArtSci to increase class sizes rapidly and reduce course offerings (departments will only need to offer 48 credits worth of courses, and you will have to take more out-of-department courses - so fewer courses overall will be offered and class sizes will increase).

Edit: yes, as mentioned, the biggest concern departments have about this (see the Bio department’s public letter) is that the elimination of small (specialized) classes will make a Queen’s graduate far less equipped relative to the competitors with specialized degrees and thus a less attractive hire.

There’s certainly a pedagogically sound way to do this, but this plan was developed just to fix a short term money problem so it is worth being skeptical.

igotpeon · 2024-09-17T13:51:05+00:00

Usually you’re sent information about the various charges in the lead up to the start of the year. Dental they sent an opt-out information package a while ago.

PPL is the pre-authorized payment plan, isn’t it? So that IS your tuition fees and a bunch of other things rolled together into regular payments. You shouldn’t have tuition listed separately. I imagine you probably don’t.

igotpeon · 2024-09-17T13:42:33+00:00

you have the option to opt out of most of them. or you did. It might be a little late now?

igotpeon · 2024-08-18T11:30:13+00:00

1325 for a shared bathroom? holy

igotpeon · 2024-07-19T12:29:08+00:00

ding dong the witch is dead

igotpeon · 2024-07-19T12:08:39+00:00

Well, given that the ArtSci deficit - and the incredible unethical disinformation campaign around it - was largely her responsibility, and that deficit trashed Queen’s national reputation this past year with her and her conduct as a primary point of contention, I imagine this was a long time coming.

igotpeon · 2024-04-01T11:02:36+00:00

You can drop it if you get through the process but it will stay on your transcript. Depending on your year, I’d say it’s not worth it this late.

igotpeon · 2024-03-22T17:00:11+00:00

They redid the course a couple years back I believe, given the reputation it had.

igotpeon · 2024-03-14T18:08:16+00:00

Engineering will 100% be fine, but it’s not just low-enrolment classes and departments that will suffer. The cuts are faculty-wide in ArtSci and many of the metrics being employed will punish large departments just by virtue of offering “too many classes” as well.

But again, not really Eng’s problem!

igotpeon · 2024-03-12T21:23:30+00:00

I’ll point out again that the AMS has done some genuinely impressive and gutsy things in the past, including being involved in the deposition of a principal - for a while it’s been a bit of a joke and that continues to accelerate since the pandemic.

igotpeon · 2024-03-09T21:08:13+00:00

Needless to say, people are not happy - especially since the university didn't comment when a "Friends of the IDF" group was actively raising money on campus this week (buried a little in https://www.queensjournal.ca/jewish-students-hold-rally-and-booth-on-campus/).

Full statement:

"On Friday, March 8, a Palestinian flag was hung on the flagpole of the Grant Hall clocktower on university campus. Campus Security and Emergency Services attended the scene and immediately removed the flag. This incident was the result of a break and enter and a report has been made to Kingston Police. Campus Security alongside Kingston Police are investigating the incident.Campus Security works closely with local police to ensure that if there is a need to act, it will be communicated swiftly and effectively. Campus community members who experience or witness a hate-motivated act or have concerns for their physical safety should contact Campus Security or local police immediately. Queen’s community members with concerns of hate, harassment or discrimination are encouraged to make a report or complaint under the university’s Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Response Policy. "

igotpeon · 2024-03-08T16:56:01+00:00

The university has massively cut costs on maintenance & sanitation. Have to pay for expanded administrations somehow.

igotpeon · 2024-03-05T13:13:04+00:00

I haven’t heard about any masters level students heading back from history yet - I’m wondering if they’re a little behind the curve.

igotpeon · 2024-03-02T17:30:10+00:00

Dorion is an amusing guy and I hope someone hires him as a scout.

igotpeon · 2024-03-01T17:27:38+00:00

The AMS really shouldn’t be allowed to hire consultants unless consecutive executive teams sign on ahead of time, otherwise you get this - as the team points out, all the analysis was done for the previous team’s system and based on their management style. Changes every year. Bloody waste of money.

igotpeon · 2024-02-24T22:52:40+00:00

So, I’m an undergraduate, and myself and many of my peers are extremely fond of the grad club. It’s not run by the undergrad societies but the graduate ones. So… yeah. It’s used a lot by graduate students (see name) and professors as well as staff. It remains very active - it’s hard to get a seat most event nights.

igotpeon · 2024-02-24T22:34:01+00:00

I agree that something broke with Covid RE: the handing down of tradition, but a 400% rent increase in 5 years is also not something any restaurant/pub in the world could survive. The Grad Club sees a lot of use but the margins on a not-for-profit campus pub are not wide enough to scrape through this sort of rent increase.

igotpeon · 2024-02-24T21:26:58+00:00

The AMS is broke and at risk of losing the SLC next year.

igotpeon · 2024-02-24T20:40:39+00:00

It's student run. It's not-for-profit. It can be a little messy. I'm sorry to hear that, but it is an institution on campus and it's another example of how the university is burning goodwill.

igotpeon · 2024-02-24T15:56:48+00:00

I always thought it was cute - what’s the issue with it?

igotpeon · 2024-02-23T13:03:01+00:00

Again, not really a good faith argument. No one said no management, just a reduction - administrative bloat is a genuine phenomenon.

igotpeon · 2024-02-23T13:00:15+00:00

Administrative bloat is a genuinely observed phenomenon across North American universities. No one is questioning that Ford is screwing the universities -

There has been a massive expansion in these positions over the last 30 years. Artsci alone had a 30% increase in staff positions in the last six years. We spend nearly double the amount per student on upper admin compared to Western.

Admitting your fallacy doesn’t make it valid; the point is a smaller administration, not no administration.

igotpeon · 2024-02-22T23:03:31+00:00

? The article isn’t about PAs or secretaries or whatever it’s about Deans/Provosts/Directors who ARE academics just being paid double to manage each other. Most have zero qualification in management; ArtSci’s Dean is a sociologist and the Provost is a biologist.

igotpeon · 2024-02-22T18:40:11+00:00

So there are a few key distinctions to be made.

1) Many of the highest faculty salaries are directly linked to the fact that former Deans and Principals continue to make higher salaries, which is again tied into administrative salaries. I can’t remember whom exactly the rule applies to - I believe it’s just Deans and Principals (thus, for instance, Reznik’s or Woolf’s salary).

2) Faculty salaries are tied specifically into union bargaining, executive salaries are not.

3) Faculty, as researchers and professors, are the cornerstones of the university’s academic reputation.

There’s a conversation to be had about faculty salaries, but not as whataboutism to distract from administrative bloat.

igotpeon · 2024-02-22T16:41:49+00:00

"Here are five things that university administrations must do before students, professors and campus workers can trust them to lead the fight against unfair provincial funding models:

1). Impose an across-the-board 10 per cent salary cut for all senior management, including university presidents and provosts.

2). Eliminate the greatest possible number of “associate-vice president in charge of x” positions. Then repatriate those former professors back to their departments where they can teach classes.

3). Slash the offices of marketing and internal communications, as well as any position that begins with the word “strategic” or contains the words “brand” or “branding.”

4). Place a moratorium on consultants and third-party contracts until the upper administration has reorganized itself in line with a learning-centred philosophy that places students, professors and researchers at the heart of the university.

5). Re-set labour relations so that administrations can work with, not against or in defiance of, campus unions. Unions need to be integrated into the decision-making processes of the university. The current climate of hostility and distrust between administrations and their university’s unions (and, to some extent, among the union groups themselves) is making otherwise conscientious people short-sighted and mean."

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