Western University’s board of governors, president and senior administration are reeling following revelations president Amit Chakma doubled his salary in lieu of taking an administrative leave, while staff positions were cut and class sizes increased.

Saskatchewan Finance Minister Ken Krawetz tabled his fifth and possibly his final budget on March 18, which academics and students say follows the path of austerity mapped out in the last two.

Austerity is a powerful buzzword these days, with few signs that its potency or impact will lessen any time soon. It is touted as a strategy for dealing with structural economic crises. Yet it is frequently also used in a much more promiscuous way, in attacks on public services of all sorts — including education.

A mix of six former and current professors at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business have bolstered their charges of unfairness as they seek a judicial review of the process by which a university tribunal found they’d harassed colleagues and interfered with decisions on promotion and tenure.

Seth Sazant and John Eustace are joining CAUT as assistant executive directors to replace Neil Tudiver, who retires this month after 15 years of assisting member associations with collective bargaining, and Nsé Ufot, who left in February to pursue other opportunities.

Alberta’s post-secondary education system, still reeling from a massive cut in funding in 2013, has been hit again in this year’s provincial budget. The government’s line is that the smaller-than-expected cuts are meant to give institutions time to make the transition to a new, more “financially sustainable” funding model.