Student representatives stressed financial difficulties in the last Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting of the year.
The BOT met on Dec. 12 at 4:30 p.m. in Richardson Hall, primarily focusing on reports from both student and administration leaders for roughly one hour before adjourning. Aside from reports, BOT also approved the reappointment of Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) as Queen’s auditor, approved the previous BOT minutes, and accepted amendments to the board’s by-laws.
The meeting began with remarks from Board Chair David Court, Comm ’79 and a moment of silence for Donald Rickerd, ArtSci ’85—a former trustee who passed away a few months ago—before Principal Patrick Deane continued with his remarks about the state of post-secondary schools in Ontario.
He mentioned how he read Alex Usher’s book on the state of post-secondary education, a book which Usher publishes at the beginning of each academic year in the fall. “There are times when it’s quite a bracing read. This year, it’s very depressing,” Deane said.
Deane explained this was largely due to the lack of funding but added that post-secondary issues aren’t local to Canada, and how post-secondary struggles in the United States show “the speed with which institutions of national importance can unravel, here through neglect, sometimes through active interventions.”
Despite these challenges, Deane also spoke about the Bicentennial vision, adding that it’s going to be given to trustees during the closed session the following day. He said that, if approved, it will “build upon the success of our recent efforts and equip us very well for a future which will continue to look quite dark for the sector.”
Student Reports
Rector Niki Boytchuk-Hale delivered remarks focused on gratitude, saying she wanted to “balance out” Deane’s comments with “true cheer.”
She thanked staff and faculty behind the ninth annual Indigenous Research Collaboration Day, and shared student praise for the Yellow House—highlighting that it offers not just support during difficult moments, but “room to be happy” and “spaces for joy.”
She shared anonymous student feedback collected outside her office, which repeatedly called for more physical study space on campus and said she hopes the University takes that feedback seriously when making decisions over the next few years.
AMS President Jana Amer built on Boytchuk-Hale’s comments, adding she has recently seen around 100 students lining up before the library opens just to secure a place to study.
She then turned the trustee’s attention to students’ worries concerning rising costs, including rent, groceries, tuition, and whether it’s safe to walk home. Amer said academic pressure, affordability, and safety concerns are “stacked,” and while students have always found ways to get by, rising costs have made it more difficult.
SGPS President Dawood Tullah opened by questioning whether Queen’s progress is driven by deliberate choice or by institutional drift, urging trustees to confront what he called the “pragmatic truth” that the University is also “a collection of tangible buildings, some of them crumbling, held together by the invisible hand of the ledger.” He warned against allowing financial strain to erode student hope.
He said students are increasingly stretched thin by rising costs and administrative complexity, arguing the path through bureaucracy for accommodations, appeals, and support “grows deeper with each passage.” As a result, Tullah says students are often turning to SGPS and the AMS “out of routine, sometimes out of necessity, but increasingly out of desperation.”
He emphasized the importance of having spaces where students can raise concerns without fear of reprisal, describing SGPS as “a more neutral outlet” for translating concerns into advocacy and support.
Committees
The BOT then moved into reports from various committees. Following the Finance, Assets, and Strategic Infrastructure Committee report, delivered online by committee Chair Sheila Murray, Professor Diane Beauchemin brought attention to allocations from the Pooled Investment Fund, arguing that more should be allocated to university operations.
“Last year, you reported like almost a 30 million surplus, and at the same time, people are being fired left and right on campus, morale is extremely low,” Beauchemin said, speaking through the Zoom call.
Murray responded by explaining that the committee reviewed the fund, and the budgeted amount from operations had increased. Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Mathew Evans then added that an analysis was done to determine how much could be transferred while remaining sustainable, adding, “We can’t have a situation where we rely on money in the budget that might suddenly disappear.”
Beauchemin argues that she feels the profit is enough, where the argument could be made to send more to the operations. She admitted that while she’s not an expert, this is what she’s been told by individuals in economics.
In response, Evans said, “We do leave this to experts, Diane, and as you’re not an expert, it might be worth ending the conversation.”
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In the Investment Committee Report, trustee and Chair of the committee, Todd Mattina, reported standard investment returns with Queen’s financial assets just under $3.2 billion at the end of the third quarter. He also added that they’re reviewing the Responsible Investing Policy—the policy used to hear divestment requests—with changes to be presented to the board in December 2026.
The meeting wrapped up with an invitation from Chancellor Shelagh Rogers to a commemorative lecture and portrait unveiling event for the late Chancellor Emeritus Murray Sinclair on Jan. 14 in Grant Hall.
Tags
AMS president, Board of Trustees, BOT, Finance, Rector, SGPS president
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