Reposted from the Langara Voice – Mar 18, 2026
Langara cuts markers, tells faculty to “get creative”
Marker funding ends April 1, but class sizes stay the same and instructors say they have been offered no support
By AJ WATT
Langara is eliminating markers who help instructors grade writing-heavy assignments, and faculty say the administration’s only guidance has been to “get creative.”
The college is cutting marker funding April 1 as part of an effort to address a financial crisis following a federal cap on international students in 2024.
In an emailed statement to the Voice, David Anderson, interim provost and vice-president, academic, said marker budgets “have been removed as part of broader efforts to manage costs responsibly.”
Greater load on faculty
Instructors were told about the cuts mid-semester, after they had already planned their courses with markers in mind, said Erfan Rezaie, a physics and astronomy instructor and Langara Faculty Association board member-at-large.
“They told us … there’s not going to be any more money for markers, even though instructors had already planned their semester, their syllabus, their course outlines, all their assessments,” he said.
When faculty asked administration how to manage the added workload, they were told the ‘get creative,’ Rezaie said. He said the response showed college administrators “have no idea what we do and they don’t really seem to care.”
Simon Rolston, an English instructor, said markers make a big difference in writing-heavy departments like English, where instructors read five-page essays line by line.
He said he doesn’t know what “get creative” means, nor does he think it’s helpful.
“[It’s] not a great way of supporting staff and supporting students,” Rolston said. “The thing with instructors is that we care about students and students’ work.
“So of course we’re going to get creative in order to be able to give students the kind of help and support that we think that they need, given the resources we have.”
The departments most affected by the cuts are humanities, social sciences and science, said Spencer Dane, division chair of creative arts and industries, in an email to the Voice.
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