Rising tuition and the increasing costs of living are shaping the Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) priorities for the coming year.
In a statement to The Journal, the SGPS said their primary concern driving their plans is the annual two per cent tuition increase and how cumulative increases in the cost of living, including housing, will impact students.
As part of their efforts, the executive team plans to increase access to its Fresh Food Box and Mason Jar Meals programs by adding new drop-off locations and reserving more meals specifically for graduate and professional students. Fresh Food Boxes are typically free or around $5 when sponsored by groups like SGPS and operated by Queen’s Student Wellness Services.
Although the 2026-27 budget is in the draft stage, the SGPS said that spending priorities are in line with the previous year’s executive budgets, with a focus on food insecurity initiatives and financial support amongst graduate and professional students.
The team also plans to keep the Financial Assistance Program, which helps support students who are facing large expenses.
The SGPS listed six different subsidies including Dental, General Health, UHIP Assistance, Academic Activity Assistance, Urgent Technology Replacement Assistance, and Gender Affirming Care subsidies. The SGPS will help reduce the cost or cover extra expenses that cannot be covered by students.
In their statement, the SGPS highlighted two programs: Member Society Activity Support Fund and the Member Society Nutrition Support Fund, of which both provide funds to member societies to support student activities and food for those activities. Highlighting that funds towards these programs were underused last year, they explained they would like to promote them so students across varying member societies can use them to their advantage.
With the new team now starting their roles, the SGPS said that they want to significantly improve housing and community for their members. To do this, they are working with the City of Kingston by providing their input in the new student housing initiative plan, the Student Housing Strategy, working to make housing more affordable.
They also plan to work with the Sydenham District Association to improve communication and feedback between the SGPS and its members, to better voice students’ needs.
When asked about how they plan to interact with Queen’s surrounding funding and student support, the SGPS said that they want to focus on the communication that has already begun.
This includes continuing to work with the Division of Student Affairs, a line of support for student experiences and wellbeing outside of the classroom.
Tags
affordability, food insecurity, Fresh Food Box and Mason Jar Meals, SGPS
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