On November 27th, students at the University of Guelph held a mock funeral to protest program cuts resulting from the university’s program prioritization process. Programs affected include women’s studies, environmental studies, Italian, and math.
According to Sonali Menenzes, external affairs commission at Guelph’s Central Student Association, quoted in the Guelph Mercury:
“The program prioritization process is flawed. It does not represent what students and workers want to see happen on our campus. Students are being stranded in the middle of their degrees as programs dissolve while tuition fees rise,” said Sonali Menezes, external affairs commissioner at the CSA. “I am proud of the University of Guelph, but I am not proud of the cuts that are coming.”
Guelph’s program prioritization process was carried out using the method designed by American consultant Robert Dickeson. Widely criticized as a flawed process that leads to conflict and division, the process was nonetheless carried out over the objections of students and faculty. Guelph was one of the first institutions to enter a prioritization process, but has since been joined by many Ontario universities.