Waterloo Womxn + Nonbinary Wednesdays collected questions from its members about the University's budget restrictions, sent them to budget@uwaterloo.ca, and has shared the answers they received with us, to share with all staff.
We also encourage you to keep an eye on the University Budget website for updated questions there.
Q: What equity measures are in place for the administration of the hiring freeze and for involuntary separations?
A: Involuntary separations and the hiring freeze are evaluated based on budget constraints and the need for the roles themselves, not the individuals, but the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism (EDI-R) intends to create a comprehensive assessment tool to support University decision makers when considering budget cuts, staff resourcing, and program changes. The Impact Assessment Tool for Budgeting and Staffing Decisions is designed to be both educational and practical, and will offer relevant data, guidelines, and checklists to help leaders evaluate the equity implications of their decisions, protect equity initiatives, and prevent unintended harm to marginalized communities. It will promote informed, accountable, and equity-centered decision-making, with potential for future adaptation into a training resource. While EDI-R will continue to educate decision-makers with this tool (and other educational resources on our website), it will be up to units to make equitable decisions and for HR policies/practices to address concerns.
Q: How will the university maintain its pay equity commitments to staff and faculty, and incorporate research on salary anomalies and other pay discrepancies completed over the past 5 years?
A: Pay equity commitments are reviewed on a regular basis through the Provost’s Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC). In addition, EDI-R is developing the Equity Data as a Strategic Resource (DSR) initiative, which is a project that will help Waterloo to better understand, evaluate, and make meaningful impact towards equity in work and learning. EDI-R is working collaboratively with IAP, HR, Indigenous Relations, and AccessAbility to identify and measure sociodemographic disparities in work and learning, illuminate the sources of such disparities, and point toward more equitable policy interventions. Factors they are examining include disparities in USG levels, management, length of service, and permanent/temporary terms. EDI-R hasn’t reviewed pay disparities yet, due to complexities and sensitivities with salary data.
A: How will the university mitigate unconscious bias against womxn and nonbinary people during the hiring freeze?
For instance, supervisors may avoid renewing or promoting people likely to take pregnancy or parental leave if such leaves will not be covered in the context of the hiring freeze. Or, if leaves are no longer back-filled, colleagues taking leaves may feel pressured to shorten their absence if colleagues are taking on extra work in their absence.
A: The Impact Assessment Tool for Budgeting and Staffing Decisions (mentioned above) aims to support University decision-makers when considering budget cuts, staff resourcing, and program changes by providing relevant data, guidelines, and checklists to help leaders evaluate the equity implications of their decisions, protect equity initiatives, and prevent unintended harm to marginalized communities.
Q: What is the connection between the reorganization of the Faculty of Arts and the UW Budget Plan?
A: The operating budget deficit has required that all faculties and departments across the University look at their internal organizational structures and spending to reduce costs and improve efficiency, but the reorganization of the Faculty of Arts predates the current University budget plan. The reorganization aims to accomplish more streamlined operations and efficiency while building a structure for resilience and interdisciplinary collaboration within Arts and across faculties.
Q: Why are some staff being required to sign NDAs when their jobs are terminated? What is the process to decide if an NDA is warranted?
A: Departing employees are often offered separation packages, with the terms of these packages outlined in something called “Minutes of Settlement and Release.” These are standard agreements when an employer and employee agree to part ways under specific terms. They typically include a financial settlement or compensation package; a release of claims, meaning the employee agrees not to pursue legal action related to their employment or termination; and sometimes, confidentiality clauses about the terms of the agreement or the circumstances of the departure. These are not standard NDAs used to protect proprietary information. Rather, the confidentiality terms are part of a negotiated legal resolution that aims to provide clarity and closure for both parties. As these agreements are tailored to individual circumstances, we are not in a position to comment on how or when such confidentiality language may be considered.
- UWSA: We also addressed this in our Navigating Job Loss session; these are standard confidentiality agreements that employers issue when a position is terminated.
Q: What plans are in place to support employees amid significant stress and uncertainty? Who, at a senior level, is overseeing employee wellbeing?
A: As the Chief Human Resources Officer, Michelle Hollis is responsible for all matters related to employee benefits, training and development, and employment. Jennifer Gillies, Associate Provost, Campus Support and Accessibility, works to create an accessible and compassionate campus that respects, protects, and promotes our collective rights and well-being. Although that is the focus of those portfolios, employee well-being is a shared responsibility among senior leadership, and administrators have been engaging with leaders across the University (such as the Staff Association, Council of Academic Leaders, Leadership Forum, and more) to equip them with information they need to manage change and support their teams. The University will continue to invest in employee resources such as the staff conference, the staff career counselling program, the Employee and Family Assistance Program (for employees), and The Wellness Collaborative which addresses employee and student wellbeing with a range of initiatives, often tailored to local needs.
Q: What transparency measures are in place for communicating with staff and faculty about the UW budget? Why are unused “salary funds” being reallocated for capital building projects?
A: The Waterloo Budget Plan website is updated with new information as it arises regarding Waterloo’s budget. In addition, unit and department leaders receive information about innovation action initiatives that affect their groups, like the functional reviews, and communicate that information directly to their teams.
Regarding the reallocation of unused salary funds, the 2025/26 Budget Package located on the Budget Updates website includes a comprehensive Capital Projects Report, which outlines the institution’s major capital initiatives. Within this report, Figure 10 provides a detailed breakdown of the funding sources for these projects. These sources include student fees, grants and donations, and operating reserves.
Operating reserves refer to funds that have been set aside and accumulated over time by both central administration and faculties to support strategic priorities, including capital projects. These reserves are planned and managed as part of the institution’s long-term financial strategy. Capital projects are funded through a combination of designated sources that are transparently outlined in the report.
Q: How are numbers of terminations, non-renewals and retirements being reported? To Senate, and the university community more broadly? How often?
A: The reporting of termination, non-renewals, and retirements is managed in a decentralized manner, with each faculty or organizational unit responsible for tracking and reporting employment changes to HR. These reports are submitted periodically, though the exact frequency may vary by faculty or unit.
- UWSA: Note that there is no information here about reporting to the broader university community. We are also working on getting an answer about this.
Q: What is the potential role of endowments in meeting the university’s financial challenges? Or trusts at the unit level?
A: Endowments and trusts play an important role in supporting the University’s long-term mission, particularly in areas such as student financial aid, research, and academic programming. Endowment donations are typically provided by external donors with the intention of creating a permanent income stream — most often to fund scholarships or specific academic initiatives. These funds are invested, and only the income generated is spent, ensuring ongoing support for the designated purpose.
Trust donations, on the other hand, are also donor-directed but can be fully spent over time. They offer more flexibility in terms of timing but are still bound by the donor’s intent. Although donors may occasionally contribute to general trust funds at the department or faculty level, this is not typically a primary area of interest. Most donors prefer to support specific initiatives, programs, or student-focused priorities that align closely with their personal values or philanthropic goals.
While the University continues to actively purse philanthropic opportunities, it’s important to recognize that both endowments and trusts are designated for specific purposes as determined by donors. As such, they are not a solution to broader operating budget challenges, which require unrestricted and sustainable funding sources.
Q: How are Nous consultants being educated about the role of faculty governance, and what role will faculty governance play in their consultation?
A: Nous consultants provide data and insights to University leadership and it is the administration’s role to make decisions via the processes that already exist at the University.
UniForum collects data within the University that allows the University to explore how it’s delivering professional services as an institution, and compares that with how other universities in the program are doing the same. Any changes the University may decide to make, and what governance processes it follows, is entirely up to the University.
Q: When will the salary anomaly process for Black and Indigenous faculty be published?
A: A recent memo was sent to faculty providing an update on the faculty salary anomalies process.
Q: How will the university maintain its commitments to retaining and supporting Black and Indigenous Excellence hires?
A: Faculty and Post-Doc Resource: In 2021, the University launched the Black Excellence Faculty Cluster Hiring initiative, resulting in 15 Black faculty members joining academic departments across campus. To support their onboarding and professional development, EDI-R developed the Black Excellence Orientation Series that included a series of sessions, integrated with other areas of the University. New Black faculty members were introduced to a wide range of supports and resources to foster their success. The program also provided new faculty members with the opportunity to build community and strengthen connections. To ensure ongoing accessibility of this content, EDI-R is turning the Orientation Series into an online resource to support Black and Racialized postdoc scholars and faculty members at any stage of their journey. The resource will be made available on the EDI-R website in summer 2025.
Early Career Research Fellowship for Black and Indigenous Faculty: Black and Indigenous scholars engaged in an Early Career Research Fellowship in spring 2025. The Early Career Research Fellowship was a partnership between the Office of the Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Office of the Associate Vice-President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism at the University of Waterloo. The fellowship supported pre-tenured faculty members in developing and strengthening their research profiles.