The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union has reported that 58 non-faculty employees have been laid off from Saskatchewan Polytechnic since January, in addition to the 66 faculty members who lost their jobs earlier this year.
Deb Zawada, a provincial bargaining chair for the union and a media technician at Sask Polytech’s Prince Albert campus, stated that 48 of the non-faculty layoffs occurred after August. She expressed concerns about the impact on morale among her colleagues, citing feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, and hopelessness, with fears of more cuts looming.
Zawada mentioned that various positions were affected by the recent layoffs, including school bookstore workers, counsellors, and procurement specialists. The union is currently devising strategies to raise awareness and determine potential actions in response to the layoffs.
Internal communications from Sask Polytech revealed that the school’s president, Larry Rosia, disclosed the existence of 71 unfilled positions and hinted at “more painful choices ahead.” The institution attributed the layoffs to a significant drop in international student enrollment, leading to a substantial revenue shortfall for the current academic year.
Post-secondary institutions nationwide are grappling with a decline in international student enrollment due to shifts in federal immigration policies. Sask Polytech’s official census for the 2024-25 academic year indicated that 4,604 international students are currently enrolled, constituting 23% of the total student body.
Amidst these changes, the school is reorganizing its student services, including restructuring its counseling services and implementing layoffs. The transition involves adopting a “stepped care” model for student counseling and phasing out the school’s contact center in favor of technology-driven service approaches.
Additionally, Sask Polytech will hire five student services “outreach and success navigators” to assist students with essential services and resources. Educational counselors will focus on more complex student needs, leading to a reduction in counselor positions from 14 to five.
The closure of the contact center follows the sudden shutdown of school bookstores at the Moose Jaw and Prince Albert campuses. Union bargaining chair Zawada expressed concerns about potential future closures, particularly at smaller campuses like Prince Albert and Moose Jaw.
The uncertainty surrounding the layoffs and restructuring has sparked worries about the future of these campuses among staff and students, raising questions about the possibility of campus closures.
