University of Windsor students speak out against job cuts amid $30M budget shortfall

More than 150 students, staff and faculty members marched the streets near the University of Windsor Tuesday morning to protest recent job cuts and service changes at the school.

The group met outside the Chrysler Building before marching to the office of President and Vice-Chancellor Robert Gordon, to voice their concerns.

It comes after the university announced plans to streamline services and merge several administrative support functions facing a $30-million shortfall in the 2025-26 year.

The changes include consolidating IT/AV technical support, communications, advancement and other departments, the university said in a letter shared with the campus community in early March.

"Significant" job cuts are expected for unionized staff, including members of CUPE 1393 and the Unifor 2458 full- and part-time office and clerical staff groups, the letter noted.

Sean O'Neil, president of the Communication Students' Association and co-organizer of the demonstration, said he feels the changes would significantly affect students.

"They're cutting down a lot of the secretaries… so that means that the ability to communicate with our departments, communicate among different student groups, that's all being limited," O'Neil said. "Some of our departments can't even enrol first years next year."

Students also criticized the university for a lack of transparency and involvement of students in decision-making. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

Earlier this year the university announced it would pause admissions to its drama program.

O'Neil says he feels the university administration has been quiet about the impact of their decision.

"There's been no direct communications with students about how these changes will affect us and no consideration taken, no opinions being surveyed, nothing like that. So it's hard to see how they're taking students into consideration with these changes," he said.

The university said in a statement it is prioritizing academic excellence and student experience.

"The entire university community—including students—has been invited to help identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs," a spokesperson said via email.

According to the university, there will be a net reduction of 27 positions within CUPE 1393, considering new positions added and vacant positions. There will also be a reduction of 48 net positions within Unifor 2458 in full and part-time staff.

The university said it eliminated vacant positions first, as well as offered voluntary severance and early retirement packages for some staff.

It has also implemented measures including a salary freeze, restructuring and "title and salary adjustments," as well as position eliminations, for non-union staff last fall, the university's letter noted.

In a statement, the University of Windsor acknowledged the protests but reiterated the necessity of the changes.

"Like many universities across Canada, the University of Windsor is navigating financial challenges and making difficult decisions to ensure long-term sustainability," said a spokesperson.

Kristen Siapas, president of CUPE 1393 and communications coordinator with the university's office of experiential learning, was among those impacted by the job cuts.

Kristen Siapas (left), the president of CUPE 1393, emphasizes the negative impact on the student experience due to cuts in staff and services. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

"I was just notified that my position is being eliminated," Siapas said. "It's my second elimination notice in the last 12 months."

Siapas previously had her job eliminated with the closure of the University Players, the university's theatre production arm, last summer.

"There just has been no forethought to how difficult it's going to be to implement the centralization and how complicated it's going to be to try and mitigate that impact on those students," she said.

She also questioned the university's decision to focus on staff reductions rather than exploring alternative cost-saving measures.

According to many students, the university's strategy of centralizing services would ultimately harm students and the campus community. (Dalson Chen/CBC)

President Robert Gordon also addressed the situation the letter sent out last week, explaining that the university is facing a projected $30 million shortfall for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

"Throughout the process, we have prioritized our academic mission and the student experience… I want to assure you that the university is committed to addressing its financial challenges thoughtfully while maintaining the quality of education, services and the student experience," Gordon said.

O'Neil emphasized that the goal of the demonstration was to ensure the university administration heard their concerns.

"We want to make sure that we're listening and we're hearing what the president's office is saying and what the university administration is saying in response to this," he said. "And from there, we'll determine and figure out the next steps."