After Sept. 9 Concordia University’s reputation is taking a nose dive… We are getting a reputation for having extreme activists that advocate violence in getting their message across, having an administration that is not able to respect the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and being known as a hotbed for Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I can see it in Maclean’s magazine for the university rankings in its November issue… “Concordia, has good academic programs, but…”
Universities are known by their reputations and all the negative attention the Concordia is getting is bringing the school down and reflects badly on all students. This is very unfortunate, considering it is the action of a few that is giving us this reputation.
Something needs to be done to reclaim our reputation. This can be done by dealing with the issue of tension between Israeli-Palestinian students on campus, but this is only one part. The university must find an alternative way, other than limiting the freedom of expression.
Unfortunately, people tend to forget good things and tend to remember negative things much more easily. But, the best healer of reputation is time.
Most students feel very uncomfortable with our current reputation and do not want to be associated with it. In the future, the university administration must think of the university’s reputation before approving things like a moratorium. But students don’t get off the hook either, they also have a responsibility to behave accordingly and not assault people who are trying to hear someone speak.
