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Turning up the heat on resisting Trump

Photo by Savanna Craig

Protesters hold far right accountable for controversial executive orders

“Immigrants in, fascists out!” chanted the crowd of protesters gathered in Norman Bethune Square in unison. “Refugees in, racists out!”

The band of protesters shouted these phrases, which have been echoing more frequently in downtown Montreal since U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Around noon on Jan. 28, a small group of people from different media outlets formed in Norman Bethune Square on Concordia’s downtown campus. They gathered around “Resist Trump” protest organizers, who were handing out signs and inviting passersby to partake in the demonstration. Within about ten minutes, the crowd had grown to about 20 protesters.

“We must send every brick of Trump’s wall toppling down onto the American imperial apparatus,” said Toohey. Photo by Savanna Craig.

“We must send every brick of Trump’s wall toppling down onto the American imperial apparatus,” said Eamon Toohey, one of the event organizers within the Resist Trump movement and a Concordia student.

“We must build solidarity cities—networks of resistance, a united front against the rise of the far-right,” said Toohey, as he encouraged all who are against the far-right movement to actively resist it.

“The United States is not a safe country—neither is Canada for that matter, so long as these borders remain closed,” Toohey told the crowd, as a few more participants joined to view the demonstration. “The only justice for migrants, for refugees, is free, open and autonomous passage.”

Trump’s executive order prohibits citizens carrying passports from either Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Libya from entering the U.S. for 90 days, according to New York Times. The executive order was a central focus motivating the demonstration.

Photo by Savanna Craig

“What’s promising to be passed is an attack on migrants and refugees that we haven’t seen since around the time of the Second World War, when the Japanese were interned in the United States,” said Jaggi Singh, the programming and working groups coordinator for The Québec Public Interest Research Group (QPIRG) Concordia.

“The demo was called on short notice and in reaction to some of the policies that are being announced,” said Stacey Gomez, a participant in the demonstration. “It was important to have this demo even though it was small.”

Gomez said, although there was not a large group of people at this event, she feels Montréalers’ motivation to resist Trump is not dying.

“It’s important for us to demonstrate our solidarity with communities in the U.S. that are going to be most impacted by Trump,” said Gomez.

“I think I can relatively safely state that America isn’t free, not by a long shot,” Toohey told The Concordian. “Its prison system is a complete abomination, and it’s founded on an intersection of oppressions that it needs to survive,” Toohey said, explaining that there have been issues ingrained in America’s society and politics even before Trump took office.

Photo by Savanna Craig

“I think [Trump’s] presidency has mobilized a lot of racist sentiment and brought it to the forefront,” Toohey told The Concordian. Once it’s been brought there, he added, it’s dangerous that it may be normalized far beyond the current state.

“We can’t afford to ignore it, or else we risk it being further woven into the fabric of American society,” said Toohey.

“We need to do away with borders entirely and allow migrants full autonomy of movement,” said Toohey. “Otherwise, yes, we are ignoring the role they have played in building a world which is still actively hostile to them.”

“No Trump, no KKK, no fascists, U.S.A,” protesters chanted in unison as the demonstration came to a close.

For more information on the Resist Trump movement, visit www.resistrump.ca.

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Taking a deeper look

Photo by Madelayne Hajek
Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Concordia University’s Board of Governors unanimously adopted all recommendations of an external governance review addressing the departure of personnel at the senior administrative level and strengthening transparency.

The External Process Review of Settlements with Senior Management Personnel report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP reviewed the departure of former President and Vice-Chancellor Judith Woodsworth and five top administrators from September 2009 to December 2010. The university doled out a total of $3.1 million during these months, in the form of severance packages to the six employees.

The review was ordered in March, prior to then-Education Minister Line Beauchamp’s letter to the BoG criticizing Concordia’s excessive spending. The Charest government also fined Concordia $2 million for a lack of responsibility with public funds.

The 23-page external review proposed 17 recommendations for Concordia to implement. A total of seven recommendations focus on the process for reaching a decision on the departure of top personnel, six on the procedure for negotiating a settlement and four on the control of information, confidentiality and communication.

The review emphasizes the lack of policy and formal process for removal of high-ranking administrators and officers, as well a perceived lack of transparency by Board of Governors members that contributed to a “climate of distrust.”

A main recommendation is for the creation of a formal, confidential annual evaluation process for the president of the university.

The report revealed that a formal process for reaching a decision for the removal of a senior officer was not followed in two of three cases involving either former Chief Financial Officer Larry English, former Vice-President of Advancement and Alumni Affairs Kathy Assayag, or Woodsworth.

The review advised that the decision for the removal of a president should follow a formal process set out in the by-laws including a closed session discussion at the BoG level, followed by a vote. The current by-laws are unclear on the process of negotiation with the BoG regarding the option to remove a president.

Furthermore, it was suggested that the dismissal of senior administrators that report to the president such as vice-president and deans should rest on the president. The president must consult with the HR committee before reaching a decision. The report recommended that vice-presidents should form a decision regarding the removal of other top employees such as associate vice-presidents and senior directors.

The report also recommended that teaching rights should also be postponed until a severance is fully paid or for a specific period of time following the settlement. The recommendation is likely a reference to Woodsworth returning to the classroom in January after her ambiguous resignation urged by the BoG in December 2010. Concordia released a statement explaining that this suggestion has been in place for all new contracts since winter 2012.

In addition, the external review called for comprehensive public communication since the compensation for senior employees is of a public nature. The recommendations instructed that the university should report the factual reasons for removal or dismissal to the public.

The review also reported a breach of confidentiality within the BoG, on page seven, claiming there was a leak of information. It was suggested that BoG members adhere to good practices in confidentiality in the future.

“The report does state that there were concerns over the breach of confidentiality of information at the BoG level and stated that leaks were reported,” said Christine Mota, spokesperson for the university. “The report however doesn’t give any specifics about the alleged breaches or leaks.”

According to BoG Chair Norman Hébert, the board has already implemented some of the suggestions made by the report. Hébert told The Concordian the measures will be fulfilled in the following months. The BoG adopted the recommendations Friday, months after PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was supposed to deliver the report.  The delay was due to a lack of information “regarding the benchmarking of other universities” and holiday schedules.

Hébert believes the proposal will help Concordia fill in the gaps.

“We talked about transparency and engagement and we’re all volunteers, and we’re doing this because we love Concordia,” said Hébert. “Transparency and engagement at the board is leading by example and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The review did not examine Woodsworth’s predecessor Claude Lajeunesse, who left in 2007 two years into his five-year contract. The external review examined the turnover and severance packages of the following Concordia administrators, in order of departure:

– Ted Nowak, former internal audit director (Sept. 2009)
– Saad Zubair, former assistant internal audit director (Sept. 2009)
– Larry English, former chief financial officer (Dec. 2009)
– Jean Brisebois, former security director (Dec. 2009)
– Kathy Assayag, former vice-president of advancement and alumni affairs (Sept. 2010)
– Judith Woodsworth, former president and vice-Chancellor (Dec. 2010)

Click here to learn more about these six former administrators

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President Shepard greets faculty and staff

Concordia president Alan Shepard (right) took office in August 2012.
Concordia’s new president Alan Shepard (right) took office in August 2012.

Concordia University’s new president, Alan Shepard, organized a meet and greet with his faculty and staff on Thursday, Sept. 6 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the atrium of the EV building.

Faculty members from various departments of the university showed up for an opportunity to exchange a few words with Shepard and express their concerns to the president.

Marie-Pierre Aubé, Director of the records management and archives department, thought the event was a great idea.

“There should be more events like this because they demonstrate that Concordia is a hip and modern university,” she said. “I think having a new president brings fresh air to the university and that can only be positive.”

Shanna Parisien, one of the event co-ordinators is looking forward to the atmosphere Shepard will bring the to the school.

“I hope that the president keeps the university as warm and welcoming as it is today,” said Parisien.

Many faculty members expressed their concerns about Shepard completing his five-year term and administerial transparency. Perry Shearwood, a part-time faculty instructor at the School of Extended Learning expressed the need for improvement.

“I think this is the beginning of stability at the university,” explained Shearwood. “I hope he has respect for part-time faculty members, because most of the teaching is done by part-time faculty. There has to be an improvement in the relations between administration and teachers.”

Shepard emphasized building relationships with others was a main focus of the event.

“The first thing you have to do when you enter a new place is to learn about it,” he said. “I am still in a learning mode about the university, its history, its strengths and weaknesses.”

“What I was really aiming at with this event was to get to know the teachers and administrators as people first and foremost, and to get them to know me as a person before thinking of me as their president,” Shepard explained. “Building relationships and strengthening the climate is key to success.”

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Hello Mr. President

 Being president of a university as large and as diverse as Concordia is no easy task. Despite the challenges which lay ahead for new Vice-Chancellor Alan Shepard, he said he views Concordia as a progressive university despite a troubled history.

“It’s Concordia’s time,” said the former provost of Ryerson University. “We have a very bright future.”

On Aug. 1, Shepard replaced interim president Frederick Lowy and began his five-year mandate. Though he insists that he has no grand plan and no ultimate overhaul in terms of changes for Concordia, the new president plans to focus on what the university community wants to change. Revisions and adjustments, he said, will be based on what administration, faculty and students demand.

“Concordia has a lot of strengths,” Shepard explained. “You try to find ways to engage the university community to see where it wants to go.”

Concordia Student Union President Schubert Laforest said several challenges await Shepard in the years ahead.
“There’s the ever present issue of the management of the university, how funds are allocated, the university being under scrutiny from all sides of the media and from students,” said Laforest. “There is bridging the gap between students and administration.”

According to Laforest, Shepard is also faced with the task of governing a university that’s often questioned for its controversial administration salaries, severance packages and spending.

In December 2010, Judith Woodsworth abruptly left her position as university president with a severance package of approximately $700,000. Her predecessor, Claude Lajeunesse, completed only two years of a five-year contract and left Concordia with more than $1-million as a parting gift.

In March 2012, Concordia was slapped with a $2-million fine from previous Education Minister Line Beauchamp due to the mismanagement of funds. Beauchamp reprimanded the institution for “a lack of control” at the administrative level and her concern for the number of people leaving senior positions.

“Something has to give, we have opposing views of what’s going on,” reiterated Laforest. “We need to have an honest discussion about the matter.”

President Shepard stated that “the university’s reputation is important, it matters deeply…but we’re very well-managed, we’re well-managed fiscally.”

Last summer, the External Governance Review Committee released a report stating differently. The report provides recommendations to strengthen governance and internal relations at Concordia while scrutinizing the current climate at the university. The committee criticized Concordia for “a culture of contempt” and “spectacularly unsuccessful appointments of the last two presidents.”

As the election draws nearer, Shepard awaits changes that have the potential to set the tone for the entire semester. Shepard said he believes the results of the upcoming election will ultimately decide which direction the student movement will take. That said, he welcomes students who are so politically involved.

“Keeping a cool head matters,” Shepard said. “But so is allowing people to express themselves.”

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Presidential candidate meeting ends before it begins

A group of students interrupted a joint meeting of Concordia’s Board of Governors and Senate on Tuesday meant to introduce university presidential candidate Dr. Alan Shepard.

The chants of approximately 20 students drowned out the congregation gathered in the D.B. Clarke Theatre at 12 p.m.

Led by geography student and Mob Squad member Alex Matak on a megaphone, the students, who say they are frustrated with the university’s response to the student strike against provincial tuition hikes, called on the administration to hear their demands.

The disruption prompted Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill and CSU councillor and student governor Cameron Monagle to try to calm students in order to proceed with the meeting. As a last effort, Gill stood at the podium to speak but was impossible to hear over the noise.

Members of the audience and the administration left shortly after, effectively ending the meeting. Shepard, who was recently selected by the board’s presidential search committee after months of deliberation, was unable to receive questions from the audience.

University spokesperson Chris Mota confirmed that Shepard, who currently serves as provost and VP academic at Ryerson University, would not be returning for another public meeting at Concordia.

“On behalf of the university community I think it’s unfortunate that the opportunity was taken away from us,” said Mota.

Alex MacPherson, president of the technicians’ union, said that while he supports the student movement, it was “disappointing” that others could not speak and express their views.

Gill was also visibly frustrated that the meeting did not take place. In an informal gathering of students that took place shortly after the failed meeting, Gill emphasized that individual professors or members of administration that do support the students fight against the increase “left the meeting embarrassed.”

“There was an opportunity here to make this meeting what we wanted it to be,” said Gill. “Instead the meeting didn’t happen.”

 

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ConU announces presidential candidate

Alan Shepard currently works at Ryerson University. Photo by Colin McNeil, The Ryersonian

Concordia’s presidential search committee announced Dr. Alan Shepard as its candidate recommendation for the position of university president.

A joint meeting between the Board of Governors and Senate to introduce presidential candidate Shepard will be held in the D.B. Clarke auditorium on April 24 at 12 p.m. The meeting will be open to the Concordia students, faculty and staff.

The Presidential Search Committee unanimously recommended Shepard, the current provost at Ryerson University, for the position. Shepard would replace interim President Frederick Lowy, who took the position in January 2011 following the abrupt departure of former president Judith Woodsworth.

Committee member and Concordia Student Union President, Lex Gill, believes Shepard’s academic background and his “fresh and young perspective on governance and university affairs” will be beneficial to the university.

“I feel positively about Dr. Shepard,” Gill said. “He’s very dialogue-focused and building relationships which I feel is what Concordia University needs right now.”

Concordia also announced the appointment of Norman Hébert Jr. as the new chair of the Board of Governors .

Norman Hébert Jr. was appointed as chair of the Board of Governors upon the recommendation of the university’s governance and ethics committee. His three-year term will begin on July 1 2012. For six years Hébert served as a member of the advisory board of the John Molson School of Business and is currently vice-chair of Concordia’s board.

Hébert will be replacing current chair Peter Kruyt, whose resignation has been called for on several occasions by the Senate and student groups in 2011.

In March, The Concordian reported that Hébert was absent from two of the three board meetings held last fall.

In addition, Provost David Graham announced the appointment of Steve Harvey as the new dean of the JMSB. His five-year term will take effect on July 1, 2012.

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‘I am fundamentally an academic’: Judith Woodsworth

Judith Woodsworth, pictured here during her time as Concordia president, has returned to teaching at the university. Photo from archives
Judith Woodsworth, pictured here during her time as Concordia president, has returned to teaching at the university. Photo from archives

MONTREAL (CUP) — After walking away in late 2010 from the top position at Concordia University with just over $700,000 in severance pay, it turns out that former president Judith Woodsworth has been quietly teaching at the university since the start of the winter semester.

This time, she’s not returning to the executive offices on the upper floors of the administration GM building, but to an office on the sixth floor of the McConnell building where the études françaises department is located. Twice a week, Woodsworth heads to the new MB building, where she teaches two small 400-level courses on translation.
“I am fundamentally an academic,” Woodsworth said in a phone interview with Canadian University Press when asked why she would return to Concordia after her dismissal. “I felt that the academic life was something that was really very much a part of me, and I wanted to come back and continue where I left off when I left Concordia 14 years ago.”
Returning to Concordia in 2008 as president was like a “homecoming,” said Woodsworth, though she lasted only two and a half years as president. “It wasn’t all smooth when I came back, but I feel still that this is a place where I belong. Some people might find it strange, but they’re focusing on the wrong things, maybe,” she suggested.
Education Minister Line Beauchamp told a reporter on Feb. 1 that she had asked Concordia for more information, saying she’d like to know the circumstances for her return.
“Yesterday, when I saw the news, I asked for certain explanations,” Beauchamp said. “Phone calls were made.”
Concordia spokesperson Cléa Desjardins confirmed that on Jan. 31, “senior officials at Concordia were in touch with the office of Minister Beauchamp and answered their questions on the subject of Judith Woodsworth’s return to the university.” The minister’s office could not be reached for comment.
In the last year, while on unpaid leave, Woodsworth updated her book on the history of translation and travelled to Africa as a consultant to university bodies in Ghana and Kenya. She notified Concordia she was ready to return to teaching over the summer.
Woodsworth’s dismissal raised the ire of students, staff, alumni and the public when she was let go under mysterious circumstances a few days before Christmas in 2010.
Her severance package raised eyebrows about university funding, since Woodsworth had requested, with other university leaders, that the provincial government raise tuition fees. Tuition fee increases in Quebec will begin in fall 2012.“I realize that it doesn’t sit well when people think of their individual costs when tuition goes up,” said Woodsworth, who nevertheless added that it is “normal” to receive compensation when contracts are terminated, and that her predecessor, Claude Lajeunesse, left with a larger severance package in hand.
The dismissal of two presidents within a few years stirred up outrage, with media nationwide taking note. Last summer, three external investigators released the Shapiro report, the full cost of which came to about $78,000. The investigation condemned Concordia’s governance, saying the university needed to overcome a “culture of contempt.”
But is it okay for Woodsworth to be teaching students after being fired as president?
“The university obviously thinks it’s perfectly appropriate. Like all academic administrators, Dr. Woodsworth received an academic appointment when she was hired on as president,” said Desjardins, “so she just took up that opportunity after that relationship was terminated.”
The reaction on campus to the return of a former administrator has been minimal.
“The two jobs are not connected,” said Maria Peluso, president of the Part-time Faculty Association, who pointed out that academics frequently return to teaching positions after their time as administrators. “There’s nothing unusual about that.”
Lex Gill, president of the Concordia Student Union, agreed: “The reality is, being a university professor is different than being an administrator,” she said. “I just don’t understand why she would want to come back.”
Erik Chevrier, a representative of the Graduate Students’ Association on the Board of Governors, said Woodsworth’s departure raised questions about the school’s transparency.
“We tried to address this by putting in transparent measures in a series of proposals […] and all of them, last meeting, every single one of them, was shot down,” he said.
The suggested measures included filming board meetings and increasing seating space for the audience.
“That’s more of a concern for me — since her departure, since they let her go, they’re really not looking [at making governance more open],” said Chevrier.
A casual survey of students milling around the Webster Library downtown showed some students were unaware of who Woodsworth is. The ones who had heard about it were not concerned.
“If we don’t really know the whole story [about the dismissal], it’s not bad that she came back,” said history student Mara Stancana.
“It doesn’t affect my daily life at school. The goings-on of the administration doesn’t change anything for me,” said Mohamed Azab, an English student.
Woodsworth said she misses meeting a variety of people in her previous position, but that she won’t be seeking any administrative positions any time soon.
While Woodsworth has dropped hints in the past that she was forced out of her position, she indicated that she would not discuss the details of her dismissal because of a non-disclosure agreement.
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Look who decided to come back

Former Concordia president Judith Woodsworth is back at Concordia, but this time as a professor in the French department.

After a controversial departure in 2010 that saw her being sent off with a $700,000 severance package, Woodsworth has returned to her old job as translation teacher without any public announcement from the university.

Concordia spokeswoman Cléa Desjardins told The Gazette that there was no announcement because Woodsworth is still considered a faculty member, and is entitled to return to her academic position.

In an interview with The Concordian, Maria Peluso, president of the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association, said, “There is nothing abnormal about an administrator who continues to teach.” CUPFA had been quite vocal in expressing its discontent with the unanswered questions surrounding Woodsworth’s dismissal and with the severance package she subsequently received.

Woodsworth was shown the door by the BoG in December 2010, halfway through her mandate—a mandate she got after replacing Claude Lajeunesse, who left the position with a $1 million severance package two years into his five-year mandate. Her ousting was originally described in a Dec. 22, 2010 press release as a “resignation,” although rumours of her firing were confirmed several weeks later.

Woodsworth’s dismissal created a major controversy and raised serious concerns about university governance, as the administration refused to give any explanation for dismissing two university presidents in a row.

Her ousting was the main reason for the creation of the External Governance Review Committee, which released a report last June calling for sweeping changes to be made to all levels of Concordia’s governance structure.

Concordia Student Union president Lex Gill did not seem surprised by the news of Woodsworth’s return. “She’s certainly not an excellent administrator, but it’s a different job,” she said.

The Board of Governors’ presidential search committee is currently working on a shortlist of candidates for the president’s job after interim president Frederick Lowy’s term ends in August. Lowy, who served as Concordia’s rector between 1995 and 2005, was brought back to Concordia by the BoG following Woodsworth’s firing to fill the position on an interim basis.

With files from Marilla Steuter-Martin.

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