2024 Senate Student Question

Please note: this statement was delivered by a graduate student representative to the University of Guelph senate on November 25, 2024. It outlines serious concerns regarding recent university decisions that negatively impact graduate student funding, financial stability, and housing security.

In the University of Guelph’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan roadmap, the university committed to “increasing the number of students enrolled in research based graduate programs” (University of Guelph, n.d., p.1). They have stated “Graduate students are key to [their] reputation as a top comprehensive and research-intensive university” (University of Guelph, 2023, p.17); however, most of us are familiar with the saying “actions speak louder than words”. The University of Guelph’s actions this year reflect a systematic disregard for the best interests of graduate students, running counter to their statement that graduate students are crucial to the university and directly and negatively impacting the ability of graduate students to focus on research and academics.

In the past 5 months:

  1. Tri-Council top-up funds previously funded by OGPS, were discontinued prior to the start of the fall 2024 semester for all students who had previously or would have in the future received the $5,000/ year top up. This information was communicated to affected students after leases would have been signed and budgets made;
  2. HR system payment issues led to university employees, including graduate students, not being paid for up to 2 months. As a result, CUPE’s emergency fund (which has an annual allocation of $200,000) was depleted in just 6 weeks. Students who relied on this fund for additional expenses unrelated to payroll issues, are now unable to access these funds;
  3. Cancellation of the payroll deduction system (or graduate settlement) for graduate students. Historically, graduate students working as sessional lecturers or teaching assistants have had the option to have their tuition fees deducted from their paycheques. They could select this option by completing a graduate settlement. On October 18th, Student Financial Services sent an email notifying graduate students currently using payroll deductions, that the process was being discontinued effective Winter 2025. By Summer 2025 all graduate students will be expected to have thousands of dollars saved to pay tuition, which is impossible for many graduate students who are already living paycheque to paycheque (Pare, 2023);
  4. Amidst the housing crisis, graduate students received notices to terminate tenancy from West Residence. Many of these tenants are either international graduate students or families, who are some of the most vulnerable to housing accessibility issues. Finding similar style accommodations off campus, will come with larger financial, emotional, and legal costs for these students.

These decisions directly impact graduate students but have been made with no apparent graduate student consultation, and have subsequently been shared in a siloed manner, with advisors not being notified, and with only select graduate students being informed. If advisors do not have access to pertinent information they cannot accurately advise or support their current or future students. If all graduate students are not informed of changes that may impact them in the future, they also cannot plan accordingly for future semesters. There are still hundreds of students who have yet to be informed of any of these changes.

Research consistently links financial stress with poorer academic performance (Cadaret & Bennett, 2019; Sverdlik et al., 2018). A majority of graduate students in Canada are experiencing serious financial concerns (Laframboise et al., 2023). These financial stressors have direct impacts on graduate students’ ability to perform academically and complete their studies (Cadaret & Bennett, 2019; Sverdlik et al., 2018).

These new stressors add to the vulnerable state in which graduate students—and in particular international graduate students—find themselves. The 2022 National College Health Assessment report shows that 39.5% of University of Guelph students are experiencing food insecurity (American College Health Association, 2022). However, recent surveys have shown that 81% of students accessing the University of Guelph food bank are graduate students. 74% of all students accessing the food bank are international graduate students (A. Griffith[1], personal communication, November 6, 2024). The ripple effects of these changes will be hard felt by those most vulnerable. The rate of food insecurity and need for foodbank services can be expected to continue to rise for graduate students.

Each of the above decisions made by university administrators compound the financial stresses experienced by graduate students. These changes introduce new roadblocks for graduate students, making a challenging academic experience significantly harder. The University of Guelph’s decisions to reduce or cancel resources promised to graduate students creates feelings of betrayal. The message many of us are hearing from the University of Guelph, is that we are unwelcome, unwanted, and unsupported here. This has direct impacts on the success, academic performance and research productivity of all graduate students, falling under the purview of Senate. What actions, if any, does the University of Guelph plan to take to show graduate students that they are welcome, wanted, and supported here?

References

American College Health Association (2022). American College Health Association – National College Health Assessment III: University of Guelph Executive Summary.

Cadaret, M. C., & Bennett, S. R. (2019). College students’ reported financial stress and its relationship to psychological distress, Journal of College Counseling, 22(3), 225-239.

Laframboise, S. J., Bailey, T., Dang, A. T., Rose, M., Zhou, Z., Berg, M. D., . . . & Sinclair, K. (2023). Analysis of financial challenges faced by graduate students in Canada. Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 101(4), 326-360.

Pare, M. (May 1, 2023). Grad students calling for livable wage; walk out happening today. Guelph Today. https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/grad-students-calling-for-livable-wage-walk-out-happening-today-6924111

Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: a review of factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement and well-being. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 361-388.

University of Guelph (2023). Budget plan 2023-24 to 2027-28. https://api.liveugconthub.uoguelph.dev/sites/default/files/2023-07/University-of-Guelph-Budget-Plan-2023-24.pdf

University of Guelph (n.d.). Our Time: University of Guelph Strategic Plan 2022-2027: Our Strategic Plan sets our vision. Our roadmap sets our course. https://api.liveugconthub.uoguelph.dev/sites/default/files/2024-03/our-time-university-of-guelph-strategic-roadmap-march-21-2024.pdf


[1] A. Griffith: Coordinator for the Guelph Student Food Bank

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