the journal Queen’s University
—
Vol. 152, Issue 3
—
M o n day , J u ly 2 9 , 2 0 2 4
—
Situated on the
traditional lands of
the Anishinaabe and
Haudenosaunee peoples.
Since 1873
The Journal needs student reporters and photographers! No experience necessary. E-mail journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.
Students urge Queen’s to address anti-Black racism following incident Law professor used racist language during lecture
place in the law school’s ongoing curriculum, the University said in a statement to The Journal. Following the incident, students in the class issued a concerned letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Colleen Flood, which she received on March 28. The Journal was unable to reach students in the class in time for publication. See Racist Incident on page 3
Sofia Tosello Senior News Editor
Queen’s lays off 16 employees ahead of September ‘When I was being laid off, I felt like a burden they were shrugging off’ Sofia Tosello Senior News Editor As students pack up their bedrooms, anticipating their return to campus, staff clear out their offices. On June 25, 16 staff members in the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS) were laid off, the University confirmed in a statement to The Journal. They’re working with the employees to identify opportunities of re-employment within other departments. The layoffs were made to address the $34.7 million projected operating budget deficit, the University added. A month prior, 17 FAS staff willingly vacated their roles through the Voluntary Exit Incentive (VEI) program, the University said. By establishing VEI, leaving vacated positions open, and moving employees into necessary roles rather than hiring external applicants, the University affirms they’ve done whatever they can to minimize impacts on staff as they navigate their financial woes. *** When an urgent meeting invitation appeared in Lily’s* inbox Tuesday morning, she knew immediately what it meant. An hour later, two representatives f r o m Queen’s human
This article includes descriptions of anti-Black racism that may be triggering to some readers. The Black Youth Helpline can be reached toll free at 1-833-294-8650. A racist incident in the Queen’s Faculty of Law has prompted conversations between Black students and the University about anti-Black racism on campus. On March 22, during a Law 320 Evidence class, a white professor said the N-word over 20 times during their lecture. The class was discussing an Ontario Court of Appeal case where a Black man was convicted using lyrics from the song “Cocaine Alumni” by Heartless. G. The professor, who The Journal has identified as Demetra Sorvatzioti, recited lyrics from the song that contain multiple instances of the N-word. The Journal reached out to Sorvatzioti multiple times but did not receive a response. The professor is no longer teaching at Queen’s as their field of expertise didn’t have a
resources told Lily she’d been laid off. Given little time to process the news, Lily described the meeting as traumatizing. “I was just trying not to have a full-on panic attack,” Lily said in an interview with The Journal. The human resource representatives prefaced the panic-inducing news by explaining the University’s operating budget deficit, Lily said. She didn’t want to hear it. Leading up to her layoff, it was near impossible for Lily to decipher what was happening with the University finances, and why. Following a bombshell townhall meeting in December 2023, where Provost Matthew Evans claimed the University could “cease to exist” if they did not solve the operating budget deficit and teased layoffs, Lily said she was prohibited from having conversations about her job security with colleagues unless they were facilitated by a manager. What was originally a warm, welcoming work environment dissolved into a toxic and stressful atmosphere, Lily explained. “I would say it was very autocratic, you know, the environment. And it was stifling. We would reach out to each other in secretive ways and have quiet conversations to make sense of what was happening, because we weren’t able to have those conversations more freely,” Lily said. Compounding Lily’s stress was the lack of meaningful work. Throughout the winter term, her skills were underutilized with little explanation, making it difficult for Lily to trust her department leaders. “I honestly think that in the wake of all of this, that’s been t h e
most psychologically damaging part. It was very difficult to truly understand what was going on,” Lily said. For Lily, the narrative the University has spun about the operating budget deficit is confusing. Despite claiming academic excellence is their top priority, the University has failed to protect staff who help them sustain that mission, Lily believes. Shared service’s budget will be cut by 1.5 per cent in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, according to the 2024-25 Final Operating Budget Report to the Board of Trustees. “It just feels like, with everything going on, everything staff has been working towards achieving [in their roles] is being undermined. The fabric you’ve been a part of. The job you’ve been doing,” Lily said. Further fueling Lily’s lack of trust in the University is a report from Huron Consulting Group. Separating strategic priorities from the budget model has led the University to prioritize undergraduate enrollment at the expense of other revenue sources like research and donor funding, the report concludes. The report deems the University revenue and expense allocation as complicated, inhibiting academic units’ ability to prepare for the future. The University gives stakeholders little insight into the budgeting process, the reports added. Susan*, another laid-off staff member, echoes the report’s conclusion that the University lacks financial transparency. See Layoffs on page 3
Orientation week 50 years ago. Photo taken on Sept. 10, 1974 (Vol. 102). queensjournal.ca
@queensjournal
@queensjournal
@queensjournal
@thequeensjournal