Concordia Academic Solidarity Coalition hosts first town hall

Students, faculty, and staff met to discuss their experiences with austerity.
Concordia Students, faculty, and staff gather at the Concordia Academic Solidarity Coalition town hall to discuss austerity. Photo by Megan Mills Devoe // The Concordian

The Concordia Academic Solidarity Coalition hosted its first official town hall on Jan. 14. The meeting gathered around 45 participants, including students, professors, support staff, and union members, to discuss their experiences with budget cuts at Concordia. 

Over the last few years, Concordia has experienced significant budget cuts, which have prompted major changes to the university’s operations. Since 2023, the university has implemented a hiring freeze, many course sections have been cut, and since last September, there has been a reduction in the shuttle bus hours. 

“I think we have all been impacted by austerity measures. Students have fewer courses to choose from, staff are working extra hard because there are fewer positions, and professors are being asked to teach bigger classes with fewer supports,” said Anna Sheftel, one of the organizers of the event and a principal and associate professor in the School of Community, Public Affairs (SCPA). 

Participants questioned the way funds have been used during this budget crisis. 

Concordia’s Office of the Provost officially manages various aspects of the university. According to Stephen Yaeger, another event organizer and Chair of the English Department, the last decade has seen an increase in administrative positions in the Office. He compared the Provost’s 60 administrative positions to “a kitchen that is three-quarters chefs.” 

Several participants also voiced their disappointment in using university funds to promote Concordia’s 50th anniversary. 

“The university is in a very difficult position financially, which means that we need to make sacrifices and find leaner ways to operate,” said Sheftel. “But I truly believe that those are decisions that we should be making as a community, deciding what we value and what we can give up together. My concern about austerity is that there is not enough transparency about how decisions are being made.” 

This town hall follows the coalition’s first meeting in April 2024. Since then, Sheftel said that the cuts have only gotten worse, and the need to increase institutional literacy has grown. 

Concerns about the lack of transparent decision-making were common among participants. 

“Decisions get made above you; they’re handed to you, and you’re stuck with what you’re told,” said Associate Professor Nicola Nixon. “The rationale behind [these decisions] is never expressed.” 

One faculty participant said that only half of the courses in his department were being staffed full-time in order to meet budget requirements. Another faculty member from the history department voiced his concern that “entire fields of history are about to disappear [from the curriculum] simply because we can’t get enough hiring decisions made at the faculty level.” 

“These decisions that seem to be quick fixes will come back to bite us in the future, and we’ll be the ones dealing with it, not the [people] that made the decisions,” said Nixon. 

In the coming months, coalition organizers said they are interested in holding a second town hall as well as developing committees to target specific issues related to austerity.

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