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In partnership with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services, “The Weight of Care: Beyond Balance in Academic Life” opens a conversation about caregiving, boundaries, healthy relationships, and safety in the university community. Together we'll reflect on how care work is distributed, valued, and experienced and what it means to move beyond the idea of “balance” towards more sustainable and supportive approaches.

Join the conversation with our panelists, Dr. Rebecca Hall, Global Development Studies, Dr. Halima Wali, Meghan Mendelin, PhD candidate in Global Development Studies, and moderated by Rebecca Rappeport, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services. This event will be held on March 11, 2026 from 12-1pm at at the Ban Righ Centre (32 Bader Lane). 

 

lunch and light refreshments will be available. Please arrive 15-20 minutes early if you wish to have lunch

Rebecca Hall

Rebecca Hall is Associate Professor and Graduate Chair in the Department of Global Development Studies at Queen’s University. As a feminist political economist concerned with social justice, her research has examined the gendered dynamics of resource extraction in Canada; social reproduction and caring labours; ongoing processes of settler colonialism; and gender violence. Her forthcoming book, Life Time: Care Under the Clock, examines the tension between our caring commitments and the compulsions of capitalism. In it, Rebecca combines scholarly analysis with personal narrative. The book will be published by McClelland & Stewart (Penguin RandomHouse) in 2027. Rebecca lives with her partner, two children and two cats in the Skeleton Park neighbourhood.

 

Halima Wali

Halima Wali is a researcher and educator whose work focuses on women’s lived experiences of education, with particular attention to the structural and social barriers that shape access and opportunity. As a recent PhD graduate from Queen’s University and a former student mother, her experiences navigating caregiving responsibilities alongside academic work inform her interest in care, emotional labour, and the institutional cultures that shape how support is offered or withheld within university spaces. Her research centers the voices of women in Northern Nigeria and explores how education is experienced by those who are often expected to carry multiple roles of care while also meeting institutional expectations.

 

Meghan Mendelin

Meghan Mendelin is a PhD candidate in the department of Global Development Studies at ���˴�Ƭ. Her doctoral research project uses feminist political economy and social reproduction frameworks to examine the role of community-based non-profit organizations in contemporary Canada. Focusing on the child care sector, she researches how advocacy groups and daycare providers navigate and resist the undervaluation and invisibilization of their work under neoliberal austerity.

 

Rebecca Rappeport

Rebecca joined the Human Rights and Equity Office in 2022, bringing over 15 years of community development expertise to her role as the SVPR Education and Outreach Coordinator. As a central figure in sexual violence prevention and response education, Rebecca plays a vital role in supporting students affected by sexual violence. With a B.A. in International Development focused on Gender from the University of Guelph and an M.A. in International Affairs from NPSIA, where she specialized in sexual violence prevention in development contexts, Rebecca is deeply committed to her work. Her approach is rooted in intersectionality and anti-oppression, drawing on extensive experience in sexual violence prevention, survivor support, reproductive health, and youth advocacy. Rebecca's dedication to advancing innovative, evidence-based prevention and awareness education is at the heart of her contributions to the HREO and the community she serves.