The authors of the letter “The setting in step of research1 » opposed changes to the evaluation of applications for graduate scholarships from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) integrating the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
These criteria would be “introduced by force”, “on strictly ideological bases, and without real consultation”. However, the objective of this modernization is not to dictate the interests of Quebec research, as claimed in the text, but simply to ensure greater fairness in obtaining funding and to “support the of research reporting concrete actions implemented to promote EDI2 “.
We were first surprised to find that their opinion does not imply either students or students, whereas it addresses issues that concern us directly. Feeling that we were speaking on our behalf, we therefore wish to share a position which, although we do not claim to represent the entire Quebec student population, qualifies the criticisms made of the FRQ. For example, the only argument associated with a student’s testimony concerns the need to work to pay for her studies, which limits the time she could devote to volunteering. We obviously do not deny this reality, experienced by many of us, but we wonder about its link with the criticism of authors.
Rather, we believe that the real issue in question concerns the public funding of university research and the precarious financial situation in which it places student researchers.
However, this issue is dismissed by the professors behind the text, who even seem to belittle the current struggles aimed at catching up with the delay that Quebec and Canada have in their funding of student research. Indeed, the amounts of the scholarships in question have stagnated for 20 years. They have not kept up with the increase in the cost of living and are experiencing a shortfall of more than $8,500 annually, placing scholarship recipients in a precarious financial state, in addition to limiting the benefits of student research. Our position on the quantity and amounts of scholarships is not an unwarranted judgment; this is actually a unanimous claim in academia3 and 4.
This exclusion of fundamental issues is done in favor of a strong reaction against the updating of the criteria for obtaining FRQ scholarships, which is nevertheless part of an update of current research practices at the international level. It is seen as a threat to academic freedom, with the text presenting a number of topics that supposedly no longer qualify for FRQ funding. However, it is clear that the new award criteria do not concern the objects of the funded research, as the letter claims, but the research practices, the composition of the teams that conduct it, etc.
This threat would come from an amalgamation between “the principle of scientific excellence, normally defended by the FRQ, and issues of social justice that are in themselves legitimate, but resolutely distinct”. We believe, on the contrary, that these new criteria bring forward issues intimately linked to freedom in research, which we nevertheless gave ourselves the luxury of ignoring before: classism, ableism, racism, sexism, etc. If the authors consider them arbitrary, we reply that the criteria traditionally used are just as arbitrary, if not more so.
Indeed, given the limited number of scholarships offered, only applications deemed excellent are eligible. All according to a merit system highly dependent on socio-economic conditions favoring academic success, which benefits those who are already privileged.
Finally, we agree that the responsibility for the principles of the SDGs and EDI should not fall on the students. However, we believe that the new criteria can contribute to extending the accessibility of higher education to groups that are underrepresented in it (e.g. black people, indigenous people, people from sexual and gender diversity, living with disabilities , financially precarious, etc.). Obviously, they are imperfect and easily exploited; their integration will require a period of adjustment which, we hope, will set the stage for a global reflection on the issues of research funding. In the end, we find that the authors of the letter missed an opportunity to participate fully in this necessary discussion.
So that this burden does not rest solely on the students, we therefore call on the professors who supervise them to promote a gradual integration of the principles of the SDGs and EDI into their common research practices, while engaging in a real discussion on the state of university research, its challenges, and the levers to which we collectively have access to overcome them.
* Co-signatories: Félix Lachapelle, master’s degree in geography at UQAR; Yan Boulet, master’s degree in geography at UQAR; Brigitte Légaré, doctorate in environmental sciences at UQAR; Véronique Simard, master’s in renewable resources at UQAC; Jean-Gabriel Auger, master’s degree in geography at UQAR; Félix Gravel, bachelor’s degree in secondary education at UQAR; Zoé Martineu, bachelor’s degree in geography at UQAR; Olivier Hérard, master’s degree in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Julie Major, master’s degree in geography at UQAR; Daniela Walch, doctorate in environmental sciences at UQAR; Martin Laroche, doctorate in regional development at UQAR; Quentin Duboc, doctorate in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Alex Nadeau, master’s in regional and territorial development at UQAR; Émilie Bourassa, bachelor’s degree in geography at UQAR; Émile Bujold, bachelor’s degree in geography at UQAR; Muriel Mercier, master’s degree in people management in the workplace at UQAR; Lucas Deschênes, master’s in geography at Université Laval; Thomas Castonguay, master’s degree in regional and territorial development at UQAR; Elisabeth Sauvageau, master’s degree in social work at Université Laval; Loïc Carpentier, undergraduate at Université Laval; Alexis Gagnier-Michel, master’s in biology at UQAR; Stéphanie Thibodeau, doctorate in education at UQAM; Jessie-Lee Langel, DESS in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Éléonore Dansereau, master’s degree in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Marie-Pomme Presne-Poissant, master’s degree in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Timothée Maillet-Chiarodo, DESS in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Marie-Noëlle Albert, professor of management sciences at UQAR; Marie-Ève Dugas, Bachelor of Education in School and Social Adjustment at UQAR; Sébastien Landry, master’s in ethics at UQAR; Alexandra Burgoyne, Bachelor of Social Work at UQAM; Andra Florea, master’s degree in oceanography at ISMER-UQAR; Matthieu Prugne, doctorate in environmental sciences at UQAR; Charles Béland, lecturer in geography at UQAR; Camille Bernier, doctorate in letters at UQAR; Sarah-Maude Cossette, master’s in geography at UQAM; Charlotte Bellehumeur, master’s in geography at UQAM