Union Gallery stands in support of Queen’s graduate students
Posted: September 26, 2024
Over the past week, the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 901 (PSAC 901) have released statements addressing the Senior Leadership Team’s decision to approve proposed cuts to Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA) funding for Master’s students.
With the support of SGPS, PSAC 901, and other allies on campus, members of the community have called for an All Out Walkout on Friday, September 27 from 12pm-1pm.
On September 19, SGPS President Emils Mathiss wrote that “the centrally funded Queen’s Graduate Award (QGA), which currently provides an average of $4,100 per student toward research master’s stipends, is set to be eliminated for new master’s students beginning in Fall 2025.” These cuts would have serious consequences for graduate students at Queen’s—many of whom are already under considerable financial pressure—and would exacerbate existing inequities on a broad societal scale. Per Mathiss’ follow-up statement on September 25, “Such an outcome is counter to Queen’s University’s mission of fostering a climate where all individuals can participate fully and equally.”
As a learning-focused, independent arts organization located on Queen’s campus, it is Union Gallery’s responsibility to support students in their artistic and curatorial practices while they pursue higher education. Union Gallery would not be the thriving arts space it is today without the vision, creativity, and dedicated work of Queen’s graduate students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, many of our staff, student-led committee members, volunteers, and artistic collaborators are current or future graduate students who stand to lose access to education and professional development should these cuts come into effect.
As PSAC 901 wrote in their statement on September 23: “A budget is not a set of facts. It is an aspirational document, a series of political decisions that reflect an institution's values; where, how, and when it chooses to spend its money reveals more than any statement can.” We urge the Senior Leadership Team to reconsider their decision to cut Master’s-level QGA funding—a decision which actively undermines the University’s stated mission to “offer an exceptional student experience, attract and cultivate excellence and leadership, and push the boundaries of knowledge through research—in service to an inclusive, diverse and sustainable society.”
In response to PSAC 901’s call to departments and organizations on campus to “reconsider any potential scheduling that might limit academic worker, student, and/or community participation,” Union Gallery will be closing its doors from 12pm-1pm on Friday, September 27. We encourage other on-campus organizations to do the same and to join the walkout in solidarity with Queen’s graduate students.
Signed,
Haley Sarfeld, Program Director
Morgan Wedderspoon, Gallery Director
Further Reading
Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor: “Queen's Strategy.” https://www.queensu.ca/principal/strategy
Public Service Alliance of Canada Local 901: “Statement Regarding the Decision to Eliminate Queen’s Graduate Awards for Master’s Level Researchers.” September 23, 2024. https://psac901.org/statement-regarding-the-decision-to-eliminate-queens-graduate-awards-for-masters-level-researchers/
Society of Graduate and Professional Students: “SGPS Call to Action: Statement Against the Removal of Masters QGA Funding.” September 19, 2024. https://sgps.ca/2024/09/19/sgps-call-to-action/
Society of Graduate and Professional Students: “Updated SGPS Statement on Masters QGA.” September 25, 2024. https://sgps.ca/2024/09/25/updated-sgpg-statement-on-masters-qga/