Save Our Club: Queen’s Grad Club Launches Emergency Fundraising Initiative

– Cherished Queen’s and Kingston institution seeks to raise $100,000 to keep doors open –
KINGSTON, ON (March 12, 2024) – For more than sixty years, The Grad Club has acted as
a cultural, academic, and physical gateway to Queen’s University. Now, it is in danger of
closing its doors forever. The Grad Club announced today a $100,000 emergency fundraising
campaign to keep the beloved campus space at Union and Barrie open for the foreseeable

future. Current and former participants in the Grad Club community are invited to make a tax-
deductible donation of any size to the campaign now at www.TheGradClub.ca/Donate.

Founded in 1963, the Grad Club is currently facing unprecedented financial hardship due to
an aging building with significant infrastructure costs, repayment of CEBA loans granted
during the pandemic, and a 400% increase in rent.

“The Club would have had the ability to cope with each one of these setbacks individually, but
because they all happened so close together, we are now in a precarious financial position,”
said Gabriela Castillo Raga, President, Queen’s Grad Club Board of Directors. “We are
asking for help from the broad community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, artists, musicians,
performers, and Kingstonians who have loved and been impacted by the Grad Club over the
years.”

The Grad Club is unique among graduate student spaces at post-secondary institutions in
Canada and elsewhere. As the primary communal space on campus dedicated solely to
graduate and professional students to connect with one another, it inspires inter-departmental
interaction by providing study spaces, forums for debate and discussion, and hosting classes.
“The Grad Club is unlike any other campus space,” said Stephen Lougheed, Professor of
Biology and Environmental Studies at Queen’s University, and Director of the Queen’s
University Biological Station. “It’s been as integral as the lab and lecture hall during my three
decades at Queen’s, fostering an enriched academic and cultural experience for my students
and even acting as a calling card to attract new academics to Kingston.”

Beyond the co-curricular, the Grad Club bridges town and gown, physically positioned where
campus and city meet, and welcoming the wider Kingston community to Queen’s by hosting
extensive cultural events ranging from music and comedy to trivia and drag.

“The Grad Club has gained a reputation as an intimate, accessible, and fan-favourite
performance space that attracts discerning and appreciative audiences,” said Virginia Clark,
Manager, Queen’s Grad Club and President, Flying V Productions. “Recognized by CBC as
one of the Top 50 ‘most magical’ concert halls in Canada, its closure would be mourned far
beyond Kingston as the loss of a treasured venue.”

Over the years, the Grad Club has played host to artists ranging from Neko Case and Death
From Above 1979, to The Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer, as well as thousands of other
Canadian acts from across the country.
About Queen’s Grad Club

Founded in 1963, The Grad Club is a non-profit social club at Queen’s University in Kingston
for graduate and professional students. The Club’s operations are coordinated through a
Board of Directors, elected annually from the Membership. The Grad Club offers affordable
access to its members and the membership fee contributes immensely to achieving this goal.
The Club provides an inclusive and safe space on campus for graduate students to work,
collaborate, socialize, and relax. It provides a platform that encourages graduate students to
meet across fields and share ideas and research. As part of this objective, it provides an
extensive study space during daytime hours, with areas dedicated to graduate and
professional student use only.

Throughout the day, the Grad Club provides a diverse menu of made-in-house fresh food
options. It also provides event space for a variety of groups and organizations from both the
Queen’s and greater Kingston community, offering a diverse and extensive lineup of music,
comedy, drag, and more.

Follow The Grad Club:
Instagram: @TheGradClub
Facebook: @GradClubQueens
TikTok: @TheGradClub
LinkedIN: @The-Grad-Club