Demand Better

Queens History department emailed all of it's history students today informing us of the budget cuts that the department is undergoing in the next couple of years.

You know what I basically took away from the email? That history (as well as many other small departments in the university) are basically getting whittled down into nothing.

What happened to providing a GOOD education? Apparently that principle got cut along with the budget.

The other kicker is that our programs are getting cut and guess what, that's right, our tuition isn't.

Now perhaps you're saying, but there's a massive economic situation at the moment which is why everyone has to scale back, and that's a totally legit statement. But what happens when you scale back so much that you are unable to provide a good education? What happens to the number of students who wish to apply? What happens to the jobs that need to be filled but no one is qualified to take them because those qualifications didn't make it past round one of budget cuts?

Perhaps you think I'm over exaggerating the situation? History is taking a 5% budget cut this year, and then a 6% cut next year and then an 8% cut the year after that. There's not going to be a history department soon enough.

The problem boils down to the current economic situation, the provincial government who has scaled back the amount of money it is giving to Queens, and Queens itself for constructing grossly over budgeted buildings instead of taking care of its programs.

What do we need to do?

Demand better. Better from our school, and our government.

If we don't, if we become complacent - we'll we're basically saying that it's alright. And if you don't think that your voice can make a difference then you've just shown why studying history is important - history shows us that it's those one voices that can really change and impact the world.

So speak up. Demand better.